A Death Wish
by CutePiglet
Summary: Yami is Death itself. And when he sees a young boy called Yugi he will do everything he can to get him. Because Yugi belongs to him. Dark Puzzleshipping
1. The gift

**Author's note: **Hello peeps! Here I am with a new story, I had this one in my head for a couple of months, and I know the first chapter is very short, but it's just the prologue ;)

Enjoy! :)

* * *

Small painful cries escaped her pale lips again.

'Just one more time, Mrs. Mutou, deep breaths,' said Dr. Shepherd. Another small whimper. Her husband was standing next to her, holding her sweaty hand for support.

'Come on, Georgia, you can do it.' Georgia Mutou looked at her husband with watery eyes. She was squeezing his hand so tightly that it was turning pale, but he didn't say anything. 'Just one more push.' She shut her eyes and gave one last soft cry of pain. The room was filled with a baby's cry. Both of the baby's parents smiled at hearing that sound.

'Good job, Mrs. Mutou, slow pushes now. Easy there...' Georgia took deep breaths and continued to push when the doctor said so. It was finally over. After two long days in the hospital the baby was finally born.

'Congratulations! It's a boy,' one of the nurses said. She turned with a very small baby in her arms who was still letting out small whimpers. The baby had large lavender colored eyes and very little hair. The baby was still a bit pinkish, but they knew his real skin was very pale. The nurse handed Georgia her newborn son with a large blue towel to keep him warm. Jack was kissing his wife tenderly.

'You did great, you will be a great mother,' he whispered against her forehead. Georgia smiled at her husband, caressing his hair with her free hand.

'And you will be a great father.' They looked at their son who was now squirming and playing with his hands. 'He's adorable.' Jack looked at his son and caressed his cheek with one finger.

'Yugi Mutou...' he said, placing his lips on his son's forehead. 'That is your name, little one.' Yugi cooed happily and tried to grab his father's hair with his chubby fingers. Everyone laughed softly at Yugi's attempts.

'Thank you for everything,' Georgia told their doctors. While everyone was distracted they did not notice the other presence in the room.

A dark figure with a black cape was watching everything with his arms folded over his chest, leaning against one of the white walls. His dark crimson eyes were shining dangerously and his lips curled into a devilish grin, showing his small sparkling fangs. The shining blond bangs stuck out from the hood that covered his wild hair. His lips parted, a deep voice escaped them, saying one word,

'_Mine._'

A dark cloud swirled around him and he vanished. An evil laugh filled the air, brushing against the white walls but inaudible to the others in the room.

* * *

'Finally, my own bed!' Georgia entered their house with her arms wide open. 'I'll be able to sleep again, thank God!' Jack followed her with Yugi in his arms. Georgia turned and took Yugi from him. 'Look, Yugi, this is your house, do you like it?' Yugi mumbled a few things and squirmed happily in his mothers arms. Georgia giggled and gave his nose a kiss, earning a small giggle from Yugi.

'Georgia, I'm so sorry, but I have to go to work tomorrow.' Georgia turned to Jack again when he brought their stuff in. He let out a sigh and collapsed on the couch. Georgia closed the door with one hand and went to sit next to him.

'What do you mean, dear? You promised you'd help me...' Jack sighed again and gave his wife a small smile.

'I'm sorry, but my boss said he would fire me if I didn't show up. I've been home all week just to be with you and I really tried everything I could, but he wouldn't listen.' Georgia looked at Yugi who was moving his arms and legs, learning how to move his tiny body. Georgia bit her lip. Tomorrow was going to be tough.

'I understand, Jack, I really do. Thank you for supporting me this week.' Jack smiled and gave Georgia a soft kiss on her lips. Georgia made sure Yugi was on her lap when she wrapped her arms around her husband, kissing him back.

The dark figure appeared in the room again, a dark gray smoke was surrounding him, but he did not seem to mind. When he took a step forward Yugi looked up and smiled at the figure. His steps echoed softly and with each step the smoke around him increased. Yugi started cooing happily and tried to reach for him. The figure chuckled evilly.

'I know you like me, dear one. I like you, too. Soon, you will be mine, do not worry.' The dark figure caressed Yugi's cheek lovingly before he looked at Yugi's parents. Even if they were able to see him they wouldn't notice him now. His lips curled into a dark smirk and he lowered his head a little so his blond bangs almost covered his dark eyes. When his eyes narrowed, his body was surrounded by Dark Shadows. Black and purple shadows were almost consuming him, touching his long black cape teasingly. Instead of focusing on the Shadows, he just looked at the little baby who was staring at all the amazing colors.

'Now, Yugi. I will take something from you, but I promise you this, it is for the best. You will not see me again for the next sixteen years, but I will be waiting for you, and when the time arrives, we will be together. In return, I will give you a gift. ' Yugi just grabbed the figure's forefinger and squeezed it lightly. While Yugi was busy with his finger, the figure placed his other hand near Yugi's eye area and started speaking in another language.

_'__Oculi mei erunt__.__ Vicissim virtus listening_.'* His deep voice echoed through the room, but none noticed it. Yugi was silent for a moment before the dark figure closed his hand as if he was grabbing something with it. The baby's eyes were closed when he pulled his hand back. He opened his hand and a small amethyst orb with a hint of white was resting on his pale palm. It felt warm and very light. He turned back to Yugi, whose eyes were still closed. He closed his hand again, but the light from the orb was still visible. 'Soon, dear one. Soon.' The dark shadows consumed him and only his dark blood red eyes could be seen for the last few seconds.

As soon as the last shadow vanished Yugi started crying loudly. His parents gasped at the sudden cry and Georgia did everything she could to comfort Yugi, but it was no use. Yugi kept crying, not wanting their attention.

'Yugi, please, look at your mother. I'm here, baby!' Slowly, Yugi opened his eyes. Jack and Georgia almost fainted when he opened his eyes.

His eyes were no longer their beautiful lavender color. His eyes were now light gray. Unnaturally gray. And his irises were bigger, showing what looked like fear.

Their son had gone blind.

* * *

**Author's note: **Phew, that's the first chapter.  
I'm not sure about the title, though. Maybe I'll change it...

Hope you like this one, sorry if it looks a bit rushed, but my laptop is kind of dying so I wanted to write it fast, hehe.

*Yep, I didn't use English for "The Curse", try and guess what he says =D

Oh right, one more thing: Sadly, I am not _Kazuki Takahashi, _nope. Nopedy nopedy no.


	2. Sixteenth birthday

**Author's note:** Yay! I updated! Thank you all so much for reviewing!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

'Happy birthday, Yugi!' Yugi opened his eyes, even though his vision was still black. He sat up and looked at his mother, or at least, he thought he was looking at her. 'It's your sixteenth birthday! There will be a great party tomorrow!' Yugi smiled.

'That's great, mom. I'll put on some nice clothes and I'll meet you downstairs, okay?' He felt a warm pair of lips on his forehead, giving him a soft kiss.

'Okay, sweetie. Take your time, you sure you don't need any help?' Yugi shook his head.

'No, thanks. I've done this a million times, remember? I'm okay.' Yugi stood up from his bed, making sure to keep his balance. He felt the cold floor against his bare feet, making him almost cringe. He held out his hand slightly to feel his wardrobe as he was taking slow steps. His fingers met the wood and he opened his closet. 'See? I'm gonna be fine, don't worry.' A warm hand caressed his cheek.

'Okay, if you say so. I'll be waiting for you at the stairs, okay?' Yugi nodded, smiling. When he heard the door closing he started undressing.

His sixteenth birthday, the years had flown by. Yugi was very sad about the fact he could not see, but he was very happy everyone still loved him for who he was. Some people in school were mean to him, or took advantage of his blindness. Yugi just let them, what could he do? Jounouchi, his best friend, always helped him with these kinds of situations, but he could not be with Yugi 24/7.

A sigh escaped from his lips when he stood in his boxers and let his fingers brush over all of his clothes. Some felt soft, some felt stiff as if his mother hadn't ironed them, some felt really fluffy, those were probably his sweaters. Yugi brought his hands lower to look for some shorts. He wasn't going anywhere, so he would just put on some summer clothes.

Just when he was putting on his shorts he felt a shiver running down his spine. Yugi shivered and reached for his back with his free hand. He blinked a couple of times, shaking his head. His window was still open, so it was just the wind. When Yugi put on his shirt he felt it again, only this time on his arm. As if invisible cold fingers were brushing his skin.

'Hello?' Yugi said soflty. 'Mom, is that you?' No response. Yugi's ears perked when he thought he heard someone chuckling. Yugi frowned to himself, maybe his friends were already here and teasing him. But then again, he did not hear the door open. 'Jounouchi-kun?' No response. Yugi pulled his shirt over his stomach and found his way to his door. The cold doorknob beneath his fingers still felt cold, so nobody touched it, except for his mother a few minutes ago. Yugi slowly opened the door and closed it behind him with his other hand.

'There you are, Yugi. Come on!' A warm hand grabbed his own hand and dragged him down the stairs carefully.

'Hey mom,' Yugi said with a smile on his lips. A soft chuckle entered his ears, letting him know his mother was there.

'Hey birthday boy!' Yugi let out a chuckle at hearing his father's excited voice. 'Just a few hours and you're sixteen.'

'Yup,' Yugi said. 'Can't wait. I still can't believe it.' When his mother let go of his hand Yugi believed he was in the kitchen. A sweet scent was in the air. There was a cake. 'It smells amazing!'

'It's your favorite, Yugi. Strawberry cake with lots of strawberries.' Yugi felt for a chair and sat down. When he heard tinkling he knew his mother was looking for some plates. Soon, the tinkling in Yugi's ears sounded like music, creating a cute little melody in his head. A smile formed on Yugi's lips when the music in his head continued, his heart started beating a little faster when the tinkling turned slowly into something different when his mother went looking for the glasses, thus creating other tinkling sounds.

Yes, Yugi could hear music in everything. Creating music with even the smallest sounds, Yugi could hear the most beautiful melodies. Yugi was very pleased with this gift. When a sound entered his ears, it would never leave. He would always remember it.

'Here you go, dear,' his mother's voice said. He heard the plate being shoved, becoming louder as it came closer to him. A fork was handed to him and Yugi started eating the cake. 'I know it's a little weird to have strawberry cake for breakfast, but it's your birthday, so it's okay.' Someone ruffled Yugi's hair, Yugi's father, Yugi could tell by the size of his hands. His mother's hands were a little smaller and more delicate.

'Thank you, both of you,' Yugi said looking at his right and left where he thought his parents were sitting. They both placed their hands on his arms to let him know they were glad to hear his thanks. While Yugi ate he heard scraping of a chair, creating a different melody in his head.

'Yugi, to be honest; we didn't have time to buy anything for you, so we are going to do that now. Don't worry, we won't be away that long. You just enjoy your cake and have fun doing anything you want. Happy birthday, little one.' Both of his parents gave him a kiss before Yugi heard the front door close.

'Always...' Yugi sighed to himself. His parents were always too busy to be there for him. Yugi was always spending time alone or with his cat, Maria. Speaking of which where was she? 'Maria?' A soft meow echoed through the kitchen walls and Yugi felt something warm and fluffy against his bare ankle. Yugi finished his cake and looked for Maria with his hands under the table.

'Come here, girl,' he whispered. Yugi giggled when he felt a warm rough tongue licking his fingers. Yugi wrapped his hands around Maria's body and picked her up. He stood up and walked slowly out of the kitchen.

Maria had been living with them for a couple of years now and she was always there for Yugi. Whenever Yugi would almost bump into a wall she would let out a meow or stop him with her body. Yugi appreciated Maria's attempts to keep Yugi from hurting himself. He stroked her head, earning some purrs from her. Yugi buried his face in her fur while he kept stroking her.

Suddenly she meowed and Yugi stopped walking immediately. He held Maria with one hand and held out his other hand, trying to find out why Maria had warned him. Yugi blinked when he felt wood beneath his fingertips.

'What's...? Oh, it's the piano,' Yugi reminded himself. He had almost bumped into their piano. His mother played the piano almost every time when she had the chance and Yugi loved it more than anything. He would always listen to her beautiful songs as soon as she started playing. Yugi kept his hands on the piano, slowly tracing the smooth wood. 'I wonder if... I'm still as good as I used to be. What do you think, Maria?' He got a happy meow, causing him to grin.

'If you say so.' Yugi tried to find the chair and found it when Maria almost guided him there with her meows. Sometimes, Yugi would wonder if Maria was really able to understand him. Or maybe she was just really smart. Yugi carefully took a seat on the chair and placed Maria in his lap. He could hear her purring and rubbing her fluffy head against his stomach, causing him to giggle. 'Okay, here I go.' Yugi's fingers found their way to the keys and he felt the other shaped keys (the black ones, unknown to Yugi), knowing he had found the right key.

When Yugi started playing he did not care about the small mistakes he made. They were just small mistakes, nothing to worry about. Yugi was sure if he were able to see that it would have been better, but... He was not. Maria went silent and he felt her paws playing with his shorts, but he just concentrated on the music. Yugi was not there anymore. Yugi closed his eyes and his fingers took over. He played automatically.

The song entered his head as some sort of angel. This was real music, Yugi would never forget these notes. It sounded so beautiful, he was so grateful that his mother had played it a few years ago for his friends. One by one, the notes filled his head, making him almost fall off his chair. How he loved his ability of creating these kinds of moments.

However, Yugi woke up when he felt something cold in his neck as if someone was sitting next to him. Yugi continued playing, but with less attention.

Again.

Yugi stopped playing and Maria started meowing, complaining that Yugi had stopped playing. Yugi just opened his eyes again, not that it made any difference, but he was more alert with his eyes open. Yugi moved his head from side to side along with his hands. His hands only felt the smooth fabric of the chair when he felt around.

'Hello?' Yugi said loudly. Again that small chuckle Yugi had heard earlier that morning. 'If this is a joke...!'

'Then what?' Yugi's ears perked when a deep voice suddenly spoke up. He turned his head toward the sound.

'Then it's not funny,' Yugi said, gritting his teeth. 'Who are you?' Maria jumped off his lap, Yugi tried to stop her, but was afraid he would hurt himself if he did so. Instead he concentrated on the stranger. How had this person entered his house without using the door? Yugi knew he had been playing the piano but he always heard everything.

'Oh, do you not remember me?' Yugi felt a cool hand on his cheek, caressing it. Yugi almost shivered at the touch. It felt so familiar. 'I am sure you do, dear one.' Yugi pulled his head back. He knew this voice. Especially the one that called him "dear one".

'I think you should leave, stranger. How did you come into my house?' Laughter. Yugi stood up and made sure to stay next to the piano. 'Well?'

'Oh, Yugi...' Yugi frowned.

'And how do you know my name? I don't even know you.' Fear could never be found in Yugi's clear voice. Yugi was not afraid of this person. Yugi had learned not to be afraid.

If you are blind, you would always see darkness, Yugi had never known how monsters looked like. You could describe the red eyes, the black thorns on their head, the ugly body, but all these things were unknown to Yugi. Yugi did not know what colors were, Yugi did not know the difference between beauty and ugliness. It was always pure darkness.

'I am sure you remember my voice, dear one. Even though it has been a long time. I know you recognize me.' Yugi had the feeling this person was standing right in front of him, he could almost feel the grin on this person's face. His voice sounded so full and deep. This person knew he was right. Was he able to read minds? Confusion took over. Yugi knew this person. This _man_. The deep voice belonged to a man, that was for sure. Yugi's ability to remember every sound was not lying to him. He had heard this voice before. He was sure of it.

'I...I do,' Yugi said softly. 'But I don't know you...' Another moment of laughter.

'That is true. You do know not me, but I do know you, Yugi Mutou.' Yugi almost flinched when he felt that familiar cold touch on his arms again.

'Who are you?' Yugi said, almost sounding irritated. Yugi received an answer immediately.

'Whoever you want me to be, Yugi. I can be your friend, but I can also be your worst enemy. I can help you, but I can also hunt you down. I am always by your side, I am closer than you think. You are never alone when I am there.' Confusion took over again. This man could be Yugi's friend, but also Yugi's enemy? Was this some kind of weird man who thought he was some kind of superhero?

'How can you be my friend and my enemy at the same time? That doesn't make any sense!'

'Oh, but it does, dear one. You just need to think.' Yugi let go of the piano and took a few steps forward. A cold wind brushed against his bare legs, but no window was open. The air was filled with nothing but thick smoke, but Yugi could still breathe. Yugi did not understand. Maybe it was just Jounouchi, surprising him on his birthday with some weird joke. But then again... Jounouchi would never be able to make his voice sound that... deep and confident, almost powerful. The smoke brushed his bare skin teasingly as if it was trying to scare Yugi. The thickness was almost making Yugi sweat. This was not the kind of smoke you would find everyday.

'You're my friend, but also my worst enemy. You're nothing more than a weird person who thinks he can just barge into someone's house and...' A cool hand was covering Yugi's mouth, making him unable to finish his sentence.

'Do not say those words. As I said, I can be your worst enemy if you want me to be.' Yugi narrowed his cloudy gray eyes.

'If I were able to see I would so kick your ass right now...' Yugi muttered through the hand that was still covering his mouth.

'And that is where things get interesting...' Yugi sighed through his nose and removed the hand from his lips.

'Yeah, Sherlock. I'm blind if you hadn't noticed.' Suddenly, the hands were warm and placed themselves on Yugi's cheeks, caressing them with their thumbs.

'There is no need for insulting, Yugi. I know that you are blind. I am the one responsible, after all.' Yugi raised an eyebrow.

'You're responsible for my blindness? Then what are you? Some kind of magician?' The warm hands moved down to Yugi's neck, still caressing the skin. Yugi did not take the risk to swat his hands away, knowing he was not going to like the other's reaction.

'Not even close. What are you afraid of, Yugi?' Yugi had to bite his lip when the hands stopped and went under his shirt. The hands were now cool again, making his body shiver at the feathery touch.

'Stop touching me, will you?' Yugi growled.

'You are _mine_, Yugi.' Yugi backed away, straightening his shirt.

'I'm not yours! You're crazy, get out of my house!' Yugi took another step backwards, but stopped when he felt the wall. He could not sense the other's presence.

'I will not get out until I get an answer.' Yugi almost screamed when he felt arms around his waist, pulling him forwards.

'Let go!' Yugi tried to kick this man, but not being able to see he did not get anywhere. Something warm and soft was resting on his shoulders.

'Again, Yugi. I can be your friend,' the voice said. The hands were now wrapped around Yugi's neck, and Yugi almost choked as they squeezed his skin there. 'But I can also be your worst enemy.' Yugi just held up his head, not showing any signs of fear. This person wanted to see fear and Yugi was not going to give that to him.

'Be my worst enemy. I don't care.' Yugi coughed a few times when his neck was released.

'Believe me, you don't want me as your worst enemy. I can destroy everything. I can destroy your life in the blink of an eye. I can destroy the ones you love with one single snap of my fingers. I can make your life a living hell, Yugi Mutou. You do not want me as your worst enemy.' Yugi huffed and folded his arms over his chest.

'Right, and I'm the Queen of England. Destroy my life. Maybe I know what you are. You're just some kind of lunatic who thinks he can take over the world. Fine, do the best you can. Make my life a living hell. Let's see if you can beat me. I'm tougher than you think I am,' Yugi said, giving the person a glare with his blind eyes. Suddenly he knew this person stood right in front of him. He could feel the cool breath on his lips, but Yugi just stood there, still glaring the best he could.

'You will regret those words. Remember, I am closer than you think. Prepare.' Yugi's ears perked when he heard someone snapping their fingers. Yugi held out his hand but felt nothing. Yugi could also notice how clear the air felt. The smoke was finally gone.

'Are you still here?' No response. Yugi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. When he did he heard the door open rather loudly.

'Yugi! Come quick! Your mother fell unconscious!'

* * *

**Author's note:** And cut. That was chapter two, I hope you liked this chapter. Jeez, Yugi's really tough in this chapter. I never wrote Yugi like that, it's fun!

So...

Yami: Ow! Someone smacked me!

Hehe, that would be **Cheshire Cat Girl**. Good one:) Smack him again, that's funny :P

**psychicgirl32,** DING DING! We have a winner! You're very close to the translation! He said: 'Your eyes shall be mine, and...' Maybe you already know the rest;)

**yayubaru1**, the title loves you, too! The title is very happy with your review and so am I :D

**YankeeSamson**, I'm defiantly going to read that book. Never heard of it, but I'm going to read it, thanks for the tip :)

Thank you everyone else for your lovely reviews! I love you all and I'll see you in the next chapter! The updates are going to be a bit slower, because the tests are here again. Next week *sigh*. I am working my ass off, but it's for the best, right?

Oh, and by the way, if you were wondering what Yugi played on the piano, here it is:  
_"River flows in you"_ by Yiruma. It's really beautiful, I'm sure you'll love it, it's one of my favorites :)

Yugi: You look a bit tired, CP?

Yup, it's almost one in the morning. AGAIN. I hate this. I'm going to bed.

Yugi and Yami: Alright, see you in the next chapter, everyone and don't forget to review! :D


	3. My memories

**Author's note: **Okay, sorry it took so long! I'll try to update this story sooner next time!

Finals are over, people! I am so happy, and next Sunday is my birthday~!^^  
Thank you for all the nice reviews, you guys rock!

…

Why do I smell something funny?

Yami: Help! She's chasing me! And she roasted me!

Okay, okay, everybody calm down. Yayubaru1 was… a little too enthusiastic, right?

Yami: *hides behind me* Ow! Somebody smacked me again!

*whispers* keep doing it, Cheshire Cat Girl, pretty please? :3 lol

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Enjoy :)

* * *

_Everything was dark, he was used to it. He could only hear the sound of his own breathing and feel the soft pillows against the back of his head. He knew his parents were downstairs, still talking. A sigh escaped from his lips as he rolled over to his side. A soft breeze blew the blankets away from his feet. Yugi sat up and put the blanket over his feet again, the wind felt cold and made him almost shiver. He narrowed his eyes, slowly raising his hand, even though he was sure he was alone in his room._

_Still, he felt a presence near him, a cold presence. Something cold was pressed against the back of his neck and Yugi let out a soft startled gasp. 'Mommy?' Yugi froze when he heard a soft and gentle chuckle. 'Who are you?' _

'_Do not worry, little one. I am here, and I am not going to hurt you,' a deep voice said, a cold hand caressed his little cheek and Yugi leaned into the soft and gentle touch. 'Did your parents leave you alone?' Yugi closed his eyes, nodding quickly. _

'_They didn't even say goodnight. It's always so dark, I just want to see them,' Yugi said hoarsely. 'Why is it always so dark?' The other person continued to caress his cheek and made soft shushing noises. _

'_There is a reason for everything,' the deep voice spoke again. Yugi bravely held out his hand, the tips of his little fingers brushing against something cold. It felt like touching silk. He let his fingers slide down and soon, his hand was grabbed. _

'_Why are you so cold?' he wondered, raising his head. 'Are you sick?' _

'_No, Yugi. I am not sick.' Yugi frowned and pulled his hand back._

'_Who are you?' he repeated softly. He heard the person move, but he felt no weight on his bed. _

'_I am very close, I can be your friend, dear one. I am always there when you need me.' _

'_My mom is always there for me, too. She's really nice,' Yugi said, smiling. 'Are you nice, too?' A cold hand cupped his cheek. _

'_If you want me to be. Once we meet again, I will show you the most beautiful place,' the deep voice whispered. Yugi's lips curled into a happy smile._

'_Really? When?' _

'_Very soon, dear one. When your time has come…' Yugi pouted, folding his arms over his little chest. He was not sure if he was glaring at this person, or not, but he thought he was._

'_Why not now?' He felt a pair of cold lips against his forehead, giving him a soft and gentle kiss. Something his mother always did when she left him alone…_

'_Because you are not ready yet,' was the answer. Yugi could feel the cold words brushing against the skin of his forehead, sending a cold shiver down his spine. A cold, yet soft hand brushed against his small neck, rubbing its thumb against his skin._

'_Well, I turned five today, I think I'm old enough!' Yugi said playfully, reaching to grab the cold hand. He curled his fingers around the big cold hand. _

'_I promise I will come back to pick you up when you are ready, young one,' the deep voice said. Yugi closed his eyes, his smile slowly disappearing. He stuck out his smallest finger, opening his eyes, even though it did not make a difference._

'_Pinky promise?' A rather cold finger curled around his own, the other person letting out a small chuckle._

'_Pinky promise.'_

Still hearing the same deep voice in his head, Yugi felt his father's arms around his shoulders, leading him to the car. He barely heard the siren as he stepped in the car. Closing his eyes, he searched for another memory.

_Yugi finally knew why he was not able to see. His parents finally told him that he was born blind. That was why it was always dark, wherever he was. He had gotten used to it, though, he would never see the colors his friends tried to describe to him. In the beginning, they thought it was weird that he was blind, but they had accepted it and if they mentioned it, Yugi did not mind. _

'_Is that also the reason why your eyes are gray?' a voice asked. Yugi's head shot up, that was Jounouchi's voice._

'_What do you mean?' Yugi said, frowning a bit. Yugi tapped his fingers on the soft grass. His birthday party was coming near an end, everybody had already left, except for Jounouchi, who always stayed longer than everyone else. Yugi actually liked it that Jounouchi always stayed, it gave him a good feeling._

'_Well, you can't see, is that also the reason that your eyes are gray?' Yugi shrugged, he knew that gray was a color, but he did not know if blind people had gray eyes. _

'_No, that's not always true, Jounouchi,' another voice said. Yugi looked in the direction of the voice and heard footsteps. He recognized the pace of the footsteps, that was his mother. 'Not every blind person has gray eyes, only some people. But that's what makes Yugi unique, right? I think it's a beautiful color.' She rubbed his head lovingly before placing a soft kiss on it. 'Your mother is here, Jounouchi.'_

'_Okay,' he heard Jounouchi say. Jounouchi let out a soft groan, making Yugi think that he was standing up. 'See you around, Yugi.' The footsteps grew softer with every step and Yugi hung his head again. He was sure that his parents were going to leave, too, they always did. _

'_Yugi?' This time, it was his father. _

'_I know…' Yugi said, without looking up, a weak smile forming on his lips. 'It's okay, you won't be away that long, right?' _

'_We just thought you should know that... with your talent, we should buy an instrument. We don't know which one yet, you're eight now, that's a good age.' Somewhere in the distant he heard his mother talking to Jounouchi's mother, Yugi smiled when Jounouchi's mother, Catherine laughed. _

'_An instrument?' Yugi said, playing with a large ribbon. 'Mom said she used to play the piano, why don't you buy one?' There was a soft sigh, and Yugi immediately felt guilty for talking to him like that._

'_We know that we leave you alone very often, but…'_

'_I know, dad. And I'm fine with it, I can take care of myself,' Yugi said, taking his time to stand on his feet. He reached for something to lean on and found, what felt like, a wooden table. He felt an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to a warm chest._

'_Yugi, your mother and I wanted to give you this as a birthday present, we really did. It's just that, we didn't have much time this week, not even two weeks ago. All we want is the best for you and that's why we have to leave the house every now and then.' Yugi buried his face in his father's chest. The words "Every now and then" echoing in his mind. _

_The front door closed, Jounouchi and his mother had left. _

'_Jack, we have to go.' Yugi received a kiss on his cheek from his mother and a tight hug from his father. 'We'll be back before you know it, sweetheart.' Yugi turned around, hearing his parents leave. He walked carefully around the garden for a moment before he went inside. _

'_I guess you like being alone,' a deep voice said. Startled, Yugi turned around, automatically holding out his hand. He felt nothing but air, and started taking slow steps backwards. With his other hand, he stretched his fingers to make sure he did not bump into something solid. _

'_Who are you?' he said slowly, narrowing his eyes. The tips of his fingers brushed against a wall and Yugi stopped walking. Suddenly, he knew this person was standing in front of him, he could almost feel the eyes on him. _

'_I am sure you remember me, Yugi. I made a promise to you a few years ago, remember?' the voice said. Now that he mentioned it, his voice did ring a bell. That deep voice…_

'_We're f-friends, right?' Yugi said in a small voice. He tried his best to sound brave, but somehow all of his braveness had left. A breeze of cold air ran over his bare arms, causing him to shiver. Soft, cold fingers caressed his cheek lovingly, Yugi did not react, instead he leaned against the wall. _

'_That is right. I can be your friend, you have to remember that. And I am sure you remember our promise,' the deep voice said. 'I made a promise to you and I always keep my promises.' Yugi searched for the right memory, not being able to see, he had to remember the voice of this person. _

'_You…you promised you'd take me to a beautiful place,' Yugi whispered. The hand left his cheek and brushed the bangs out of his face. _

'_Yes. Unfortunately, you are not ready, yet. I just wanted to visit you, young one,' the voice whispered. Yugi felt the words in his ear, as if this person was only centimeters away. Yugi tried to walk away, but he could not move a single muscle. _

'_I don't trust you,' Yugi said, his voice shaking. A deep laugh filled the cold air, Yugi just stood there, trying desperately to move his feet away. _

'_I did not expect you to trust me right away, Yugi. That is normal for a person who cannot see. You do not have to worry, I will not take you away, you are not ready. Your time has not come…yet,' the other said. _

'_You don't sound very friendly.' Yugi lifted one feet off the ground, relief washing over him when he was finally able to move again. He knew he could not run away without bumping into something, but he could give it a shot._

'_I can be, if you want me to.' Yugi pressed his fingers against the wall, ignoring the cold air around his legs. _

'_Why do you know my name? I don't even know your name!' he said loudly. _

'_You do not have to,' the other answered calmly. 'All you need to know is that I am always there when you need me. You are too young to understand, I will explain it to you when you are older.'_

'_When?' Yugi said sharply. Slowly, he started taking a few steps away and Yugi was not sure if the other was following him. He did not even hear this other person walking toward him a few seconds ago._

'_Sooner than you think.' _

'_You think you can take me away, just like that?' Yugi had heard his mother say that he should not trust strangers, especially when they said they were going to take him away. Because Yugi could not see, it was not easy to see if this person looked reliable or not. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms around his waist._

'_Yes, I do.' The cold air was back again and this time, Yugi whimpered, the salty tears burning in his eyes. Those tears that did not fill his eyes minutes ago when his parents left, threatened to fall now, right in front of this stranger. The cold hands around his waist felt like ice, touching him teasingly. They felt so cold that he felt his skin going numb in just a few seconds. _

'_Don't hurt me,' Yugi said quietly, turning away. He closed his eyes, the hands left his waist, making his small body relax. A small tear trickled down his cheek, he wiped it away as soon as he could, not wanting to look weak._

'_Your parents leave the house almost every day, Yugi. I understand that this is hard for you. I want you to know that I will come back for you, once your time has come.'_

'_You know about my parents?' Yugi said in a thick voice. He tried to blink away the tears, it was useless, now that they had started to talk about his parents, Yugi could not blink the tears away anymore. _

'_Of course, Yugi. I know everything there is to know.' The cold hand wandered down his arm until it reached his hand, the cold hand squeezed his own warm hand and gently pulled. 'Do you want to sit down?' Yugi looked up, his lips slowly parting._

'_You're not going to hurt me?' Another reassuring squeeze made Yugi relax a little. _

'_Come on, I want you to sit down for a while,' the deep voice said. Yugi could only hear his own footsteps, but he decided not to ask, he did not want to take any risks. When he felt the soft fabric of the couch against the back of his knees, he sat down and reached for one of his favorite pillows on the left side. The cold hand let go of his other hand. He was not sure if the other had taken a seat, too._

'_How did you know that my parents always leave me?' Yugi said, his trembling fingers clutching the small pillow. He tried to sound calm, he did not want the other person to know that he was shaking and whimpering from the inside._

'_I just want you to know that you are never alone, Yugi. I am always there, sometimes I can be a bit scary, I know that, but that is who I am. A lot of people are afraid of me, some of them think I am there to help them, and some people think I am the best thing there is.' Yugi stared at him, at least, he thought he was staring at him, and frowned. _

'_How come?' That same deep laugh entered Yugi's ears, and another shiver ran down his back. _

'_You will found out one day, Yugi. Like I said, you are a bit too young to understand now. However, I know you are a smart child and that I cannot hide myself forever. Remember my voice and that promise I made a few years ago.' _

'_I'm not sure if I want to leave my mom and dad. I love them,' Yugi said, lowering his head, his nose brushing against the soft pillow. 'I know that they are busy, but it's my birthday! Sometimes I feel so alone… But I don't want to leave them!' Another tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away with his pillow._

'_Once your time has come, you will understand that you will have to leave them, Yugi. I know _everything_. You just have to wait and I am sure you will come with me.' _

_A cold breeze blew the bangs out of his face, Yugi had to narrow his eyes and he rose to his feet. 'But I don't want to go…' he whispered. He did not receive an answer. The stranger was gone._

'Her heart is not beating!'

'Get the paddles and charge to 300!'

'Charge to 300.'

'Clear!'

Yugi was gently pushed against the wall by someone's hand and he felt the roughness of the wall pricking into his skin. 'Mom… Don't leave…'

_Another visit of him. Yugi was leaning against the sink. He could not believe that his parents could not be there for his first day at school. His first day as a junior. He was now eleven years old, they had even missed his birthday this year. _

'_I am most certain that they will understand, dear one.' Yugi's shirt was wet and felt sticky against his skin. When he heard that familiar voice, he had accidentally splashed the water, thus, wetting his shirt. _

'_Look, I know they messed up again, they had to go to America, it's fine, Jounouchi said I could sleep on his couch while they're gone,' Yugi said in one breath. 'That doesn't mean they're not gonna care when you take me away. I don't want to leave them!'_

'_Yugi, your time has not come yet.'_

'_You keep saying that. Over and over again, I don't even know you! Why are you going to take me away?'_

'_Everyone has to go eventually, Yugi. Everyone has to leave this place when they are ready…'_

'Nothing, charge to 360!'

'Charge to 360.'

'Clear!'

'Don't worry, Yugi. I'm sure they can save her,' his father's voice was shaking, Yugi could almost feel him shaking next to him. 'It's all my fault, I know she was not ready to drive…' Yugi bowed his head, his fingers absently tapping against the leather of the chair.

'Not ready…Why?' he said. The long beep made his fingers curl until the nails dug into his skin.

'Clear!'

'She's responding. Her family is right over there waiting for her.'

'Mr. Mutou? Can I speak to you?'

'O-of course. Yugi… She's waiting for you.' Yugi stood up very slowly and starting walking. A gentle hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the right.

'This way, dear. Your mother is over here,' a woman's voice said. Yugi did not open his mouth, instead he let the woman lead him to her. A door closed and the sound of breathing was the only sound in the room. Yugi also heard the beeping of another machine, but he ignored it. The soft hand pulled him forward until he felt soft sheets against his hand.

'Thank you,' Yugi said, blinking. The gentle hand caressed his cheek lovingly before he heard footsteps. However, the door did not open, so she was still in the room for observation.

'Mom?' Yugi counted the seconds in his head. No response, the only thing he heard was the heavy breaths his mother took.

'Y-Yugi…'

'Give her some time, Yugi. She's been through a lot, she's stable now, but she—'

'No, I can talk.' Her voice was hoarse, nothing like what it used to be. 'Yugi…I want you to know that I am…so sorry.' Yugi searched for her hand, which he found because she grabbed his hand after two seconds.

'You don't have to be sorry, mom…' Yugi whispered. 'It's not your fault.'

'It i-is, I shouldn't have driven, bad idea,' Georgia said. '…Please, let me explain it to you, Yugi. I've been sick for a very long time and we didn't want to tell you, because we thought I would get better eventually, but… I was wrong.' Yugi's heart was now beating rapidly against his chest, making him shake uncontrollably.

'You… you were sick?' Yugi said. Slowly, he closed his eyes and the tears fell one by one.

'Yes, that's why we had to leave you alone for a couple of hours, we wanted to go to the hospital to run some tests.' She was crying, too, Yugi knew she was trying to keep herself from sobbing. 'It's been eight years, and because you couldn't see me, you didn't know it. I didn't… want you to see me like this, Yugi.'

'…And now?' Yugi did not want to know the answer. Her breaths were now shaky and uneven. The door opened and closed, more than one person entered the room and Yugi guessed one of them was his father.

'Georgia, I'm so sorry.' A bigger hand was placed on Yugi's and his mother's hand. 'I thought you were ready…'

'We need to tell Yugi, Jack.' Yugi pulled his hand back, putting it behind his back. He took a few steps back until he felt the chairs against the back of his knees. He did not sit down, instead, he hung his head.

'I know. Is that why you had to leave constantly? To go to the hospital?' Yugi said, without raising his head. His hands were shaking against his back.

'Yugi, we—'

'Dad, come on!' Yugi shouted, his sticky tears sliding down his jawline. 'I want to know why we're here! Why didn't you tell me sooner?'

'We didn't want to worry you, Yugi. Your mother was having a hard time, we thought she was going to be alright, we really did. And if she was going to be alright, you never had to know.' His father's voice was not calming him down like it used to. It made him angrier instead.

'So, you lied to me?' They were silent. Yugi was breathing heavily through his nose and he let himself collapse on the chair. He buried his face carefully in his hands, feeling the warm tears wetting his hands.

'We wanted to tell you sooner, Yugi… we really did…You have to understand that.' That same long high beep was there again and this time, Yugi did not stand up or removed his hands.

'She's crashing again, push that blue button!'

'Georgia!' All of it went so fast, Yugi felt like he was the only one in slow motion until he heard that same deep voice.

'Let her go, Yugi. Her time has come.'

'Give her 5 mg morphine and get them out of this room!'

* * *

A dark figure stood in the corner of the room, watching the doctors doing everything they could to keep that woman alive. The figure narrowed his blood red eyes, walking over to the scene. He removed his hood, revealing a pale face. He stopped walking when he was standing at one side of the bed.

'Your time has come, Georgia Mutou,' the figure said, revealing small white fangs. He leaned forward, cupped the woman's pale and sweaty cheek and closed his eyes. As soon as he touched her, he felt the last bit of her energy and pain. He kept leaning forward, ignoring the doctors arms, until his face was right in front of hers. She was not breathing, which made it easier for him. 'Do not fight it.'

He placed his cold lips on hers. His hands slipped behind her shoulders and the back of her knees, lifting her up. Her body felt warm in his arms and he took a step back.

The doctors stood there, one with the paddles in his hand, staring at the pale woman on the bed. The dark figure's pale lips curled into a small smile when he pulled his face back. The woman was now staring at him with wide eyes.

'W-what's happening?' she whispered. The unknown figure smiled at her, raising one hand to create a portal.

'Just relax,' he whispered. The portal shone brightly, the woman closed her eyes against the bright light. The dark figure walked toward the portal. With each step, the woman in his arms grew weaker. 'It will be over soon, Georgia Mutou.' When he was standing in front of the portal, she held his arms tightly, crying silently.

'W-wait…' But he ignored her and stepped through the portal. Her hands hung limply across his body and her head was thrown back, she was dead. The figure looked down at her, his crimson eyes not showing any emotion.

'You are where you belong now.'

* * *

**Author's note: **Sorry, she had to die, I had this planned all along…

This chapter was hard to write :( Maybe it's a bit confusing, I hope not, and I'll try to update as soon as I can!

**KaliAnn: **Thank you so much :)

**YankeeSamson: **Thank you, what did you think was going to happen? I really want to know :D

**Kat-Sakura: **I updated, there you go :)

**Yugixyamiyaoilover: **Yeah, I didn't want Yugi to be weak in this story, and I know Yami is a little confusing right now, but I tried to make him less confusing in this chapter.

**Nightcrawlerlover: **Thank you for your lovely review :) *hugs*

**Luce11: **I took me a moment, but here it is :D

**Yue Katsura: **Thank you :)

**Psychicgirl32: **You're pretty close to the translation, I think you can guess now what he took away from Yugi, hehe… Thanks!

**Twilight Emo Wind Goddes: **Ooh, I really like your name, it's cool^^ Thank you for the review :)

**Animehunter08: **Sorry, at least I updated… *grins sheepishly*

**Loka-Tenshi: **Thank you, I always like it when Yami's mean, too, it's cool :P Not evil, though, but that's just me, hehe.

**Katsuyanx: **Here's the next chapter… Sorry :(

**Redglowingheart: **Okay, I actually do want to know how long it took her to find this :P

**Spindlegal: **Yup, that's Yami, Yugi just doesn't know his name, well, I don't think Death has a name, that's why :P Here's the next chapter :)

**Azrael blood: **You're welcome :) Well, Yugi couldn't have changed it… it was her destiny (actual Yu-Gi-Oh! Quote, woot^^)…

**SecretHikari: **Thank you for your nice review *hugs*

**InsaneEvilLittleEmmy: **I hope this chapter explained it that I didn't think ahead too much, I had it planned all along :) Thank you!

**Authorqueen: **Yup, you translated it! :D Yeah, I don't like it, either when Yugi is a total softy :( That's why I like it so much to write him this way, it's fun :P  
Ooh, I get to whack Yami with a fish!

Yami: Oh great… Ow!

*throws fish back at you* There you go :P

Well, hope you all liked this chapter!  
Review :D


	4. You are never alone

**Author's note: **Yay, chapter four! Wow, it took me long enough.

Thank you for reviewing, you guys rock! ^^

…

*looks over her shoulder* What's that noise?

Yami: Heeeeelp!

Wait, yayubaru!, I need him!

* * *

They were pushed out of the room and Yugi felt a pair of strong arms around him, keeping him from losing his balance. Yugi shut his eyes, burying his face in his father's warm chest. It felt like being trapped, making it unable to hear what the loud voices were saying.

'We're doing everything we can, sir. I need you to stay calm.' Yugi did not move when his father was trying to move away. He felt Jack's hands on his shoulders, gently pushing him away. Yugi wobbled for a moment before he found a chair and leaned on it, feeling his arm trembling under his weight. He was exhausted.

His head shot up when he heard a deep voice again. '_Do not fight it_.' It sounded cold and emotionless. A shiver ran down Yugi's spine, he knew that voice. He slowly sat on the chair, sniffing and wiping away the tears. '_Just relax_.' Yugi moved his head towards the sound, closing his eyes when he heard someone crying.

There was a soft gasp, as if someone was standing next to him. Reaching for his cheek, he started rubbing it, feeling the dried tears. With his other hand he reached for the air, trying to feel someone. But he could only feel the air, no one was standing there.

Nothing. Yugi let his arm fall on the chair, letting out a shaky breath. A door opened and Yugi closed his eyes again. Footsteps became louder with every step. His head was throbbing painfully, and Yugi wanted to stand up, but his body was too weak.

'We did everything we could, sir…'

* * *

Something warm and soft was covering his body. Yugi's hand slowly rose and touched the soft pillow. His eyes shot open and he sat up, reaching for his face. The tears were dried, they felt sticky when he opened his mouth. Was his mother still alive? Was it just a horrible, realistic nightmare? The window was open, small amounts of wind brushed against his warm skin, making his tense body relax a little as it created a soft melody in his head.

Yugi wanted to stand up until a pair of cold hands placed themselves on his shoulders, pushing him back on the bed. His feet were touching the ground, they felt the familiar cold, thick air. The melody was gone, he could only hear the soft blows of the wind and his slow breaths.

'You should stay here. Your father brought you home, you fell asleep in the hospital,' a cold voice whispered, breaking the silence. Yugi raised his head, the voice was soft, he could not recognize it. Those words felt like knifes, stabbing him everywhere, he found it hard to breathe.

'_You fell asleep in the hospital_.'

This was not a nightmare. The person did not even have to use words, he knew his mother was gone and that she would never come back. Fresh tears leaked out of his eyes, he could not stop them and they continued to fall. The same cold hands felt like silk, caressing his neck, and Yugi enjoyed it, leaning into the touch for a moment and closing his eyes. Soft fingers found their way to his cheek, lifting his head gently. And then it hit him.

'You're a monster.' Yugi did not have to strength to pull back, he could only feel the warm tears trickling down his cheeks and down his jawline. The cold touch was gone and Yugi opened his eyes, feeling empty. Somehow, he knew that this person was staring at him and Yugi backed away until his back touched the hard wall. 'Get out.'

'I cannot get out,' the other replied calmly. Yugi closed his eyes again, reaching for his head, as it was still hard to breathe. Clutching his sheets in his hand, he swallowed.

'Why not?' He was boiling with anger. Yugi rose to his feet, biting his lip when he bumped into something. It was colder than ice, he wanted to step back, but the cold hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer.

'I am always near, young one. Do you not remember what I told you when you were five years old?' Yugi did not care what he had told him eleven years ago. He did not even have the strength to hold himself up. He fell to his knees, touching the floor with his free hand. The fresh tears streaming down his cheeks again, they burned.

'It's your fault that she's dead,' Yugi whispered. 'Let go of me.' He let out a startled gasp when a long, cold arm was wrapped around his waist, lifting him up.

'No.' Yugi pulled his wrist back, taking a few steps backwards. He was shivering when the arm pulled him closer to the cold body. A soft touch, nothing more and Yugi wanted nothing more than cry heavily on his shoulder. His heart was beating painfully against his ribs and a voice in his head was telling him to get away from the person in front of him. 'You are never alone.'

'Just get out,' Yugi said, feeling rather cold. 'If I weren't blind…' He sighed, removing the cold arm and stepping back again. The tips of his fingers felt the bed and he sat down, lowering his head.

'Remember, I am always with you.' He was gone, the familiar cold air was gone, too. A loud laugh entered Yugi's ears and he had to bite his knuckles to keep himself from screaming, he tasted a small amount of blood. He lay down on his back, rolling over to his side and pulling his knees up. 'I am always with you, wherever you go.'

'Who are you?'

'It's me, Yugi.' Yugi sat up, rubbing his watery eyes. 'I understand if you don't want to talk.' The squeaking of the bed made him look up and he felt some weight near his legs. His lips curled into a weak smile, it was his father.

'Hi,' he said quietly. A pair of cold lips gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and he felt his father's hand on his cheek, rubbing away the tears with his thumb. 'H-how long have I been asleep?'

'Doesn't matter, you were exhausted, Yugi,' Jack's calm voice said. Yugi could not believe how calm his father sounded. Yugi's body relaxed when Jack gently pulled Yugi into a tight embrace, squeezing his shoulders. 'You have to remember that she never truly left us. She will remain in our hearts forever.' Yugi placed his chin on Jack's shoulder, fighting back a sob.

'She was sick… Why didn't you tell me?' Jack's body froze and Yugi lifted his head. He closed his eyes, lowering his head again. 'I'm sorry, I… I just wanted to see her. I was born blind, there's nothing we can do about it, if there was some kind of surgery… I always hear you say how beautiful she was, and then she said she didn't want me to see her like this.'

'Georgia is still beautiful,' Yugi could hear the smile in Jack's voice. 'She had the most beautiful smile. And you have the exact same smile.' Yugi cracked a smile, brushing his bangs out of his face. 'You know, we've wanted to tell you this for a very long time, Yugi, but we always thought you wouldn't believe us.'

'What?' Yugi opened his eyes, even though it did not make any difference. Jack sighed and Yugi pulled back slightly, frowning. Another secret, he could feel his heartbeat in his throat and his hands were shaking. The warm hands of his father squeezed his own hands, comforting him without words.

'You… You were not born blind, Yugi,' Jack said. Yugi pressed his lips together, he could not find the words. Jack was lying to him, if he were not born blind, he would not have gray eyes, right? Or, were his eyes not gray? Everyone had always told him his eyes were gray, even Jounouchi had said it eight years ago.

'That's not possible,' said Yugi calmly. Yugi was quite surprised, he felt like yelling, but his voice was calm and understanding. He wanted to tell his father about this person who was never going to leave him alone. 'My eyes are gray, right? If I were able to see when I was born… Then my eyes wouldn't have been gray. I was born blind, mom told me that. I know that not every blind person has gray eyes, but I do have gray eyes.'

'You do have gray eyes, Yugi. That's why you're so unique. You were not born blind, when you were born you had the most beautiful eyes. Two beautiful lilac colored eyes,' Jack said. However, Yug did not move his head, he tried to feel the other familiar presence. He knew he was there, the air felt cold. 'We came home, and you were in Georgia's lap, Georgia and I looked away for a few seconds and you suddenly started crying.'

This time, Yugi turned back to his father. 'Crying?' Jack was silent for a moment and the bed squeaked and shifted again, Jake had climbed out of his bed. Jack was nervous, he had started pacing, and his footsteps were fast. 'Dad?' Jack sniffled.

'We…We looked away for one moment and when you opened your eyes again, they were gray. We don't know what happened, we looked away for _one _moment! Georgia was hoping that it was normal, a lot of babies have gray or blue eyes. But they were unnaturally gray. There was nothing we could do.'

Yugi opened his mouth, no sound came out of it. He slowly rose to his feet, reaching for his desk with his hand. He knew he would never remember what happened back then, he was just a few hours old.

'I think you should lie down, Yugi. I will get you something to eat, don't worry,' Jack said. Yugi raised his hand, rubbing his forehead.

'No, I'm fine, thank you. I think I want to be alone for a while,' he said. He received a soft sigh from Jack as response. Without another word, the door closed and Yugi hung his head, dropping his hands. He fell asleep in the hospital, he was not even there when his mother died. 'I was not there…' he whispered.

* * *

At the end of the day, Yugi heard everyone leaving the classroom. He had not heard one word that day. Jack had told him not to go to school, that it was all right to stay home for a couple of days, but Yugi had ignored him. It was like an autopilot had taken over his body and had led him to school. Jounouchi had been waiting for him at his house, talking to him about all kinds of things. Yugi had not listened to him, he had followed his footsteps and stayed close to him. Jounouchi had dragged him to the classrrom and Yugi had taken a seat on his chair. Anzu, one of his best friends, had tried to talk to him several times, but had not responded.

'Yugi?' Yugi's head shot up when he heard Jounouchi's concerned voice. He blinked, moving his head a little, he had not even heard Jounouchi's footsteps. 'Hey, I haven't seen you all day. Are you okay?' Yugi placed his arms on his desk, feeling his notebook on it. He heard the chair scraping on the floor and Jounouchi's hand on his. This time, Yugi knew where Jounouchi's face was. 'Did something happen?' Jounouchi wrapped his slender fingers around Yugi's small, cold hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Yugi smiled, Jounouchi's presence made him feel a lot better. Even the smallest things made him feel better, he knew that Jounouchi was a real friend. 'You're still getting that present, you know.' Yugi blinked again.

'…Present?' he said quietly. Jounouchi laughed softly, patting Yugi's head.

'Don't tell me you forgot. You're sixteen, now, Yugi! You weren't home yesterday, so I couldn't give you your present. Did your parents take you to a fancy restaurant?' When Jounouchi finished, Yugi felt the tears pricking in his eyes again. He could not believe that he had forgotten that he turned sixteen yesterday… and that his mother had died on that day, too.

'Well?' Yugi woke up as Jounouchi tapped his head, Yugi could hear the smile in his voice. Yugi's lips trembled and he let out a soft sigh as a single tear trickled down his cheek. Jounouchi did not say anything, and somehow, Yugi did not mind. Instead, Jounouchi wrapped his arms around Yugi's shoulder, pulling him close. Yugi felt the tears soaking Jounouchi's jacket and was starting to worry. He had never cried in front of Jounouchi.

'I…I'm sorry,' Yugi said hoarsely, pulling back. He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand, feeling the warm liquid on his skin. 'I…'

'Don't be sorry, Yugi. It's okay, do you want to talk about it? We can sit here, too, if you want,' Jounouchi said. Yugi rubbed his arm, wishing he could see his best friend. Yugi pressed his lips together, still rubbing his arm. 'I'll stay here, then.' Yugi kept his head away from Jounouchi, afraid he was going to sob if he opened his mouth. Jounouchi did not move, Yugi could only hear the sound of his breathing, which made his body relax slightly. That comfortable silence cleared his mind. Jack had told him to talk about his problems, however, Yugi was not sure how Jounouchi was going to react if he told him what happened yesterday.

Yugi raised his head, his ears perking when he heard soft footsteps. Something in his mind clicked, he heard it echoing. His body froze and he heard Jounouchi standing up. The soft footsteps became louder with each step and Jounouchi's footsteps became softer with each step. Yugi shut his eyes when the other person started talking. It was Anzu's soft voice. They were whispering, but Yugi could hear every single word.

'What's wrong? He hasn't talked all day.' Anzu sounded concerned and Yugi was starting to feel rather guilty for not responding. Anzu was just worried, he knew that Anzu was always trying to help him with his problems…

'I don't know, we're just sitting here. It helps. He doesn't want to talk about and that's fine.' Yugi stood up when the door was closed and he heard Jounouchi's and Anzu's muffled voices. Leaning on the table, he knelt down to pick up his schoolbag. With his other hand, he grabbed his notebook and his other book, and put it back in his bag. He started walking, holding his hands close to his sides.

Did Jounouchi and Anzu know something? They were arguing, he heard Jounouchi yelling and Anzu sobbing. Yugi kept walking, his fingers sliding across the desks. When he did not feel the desks anymore, he turned right and held out his hand until he felt the door. Placing his hand on the cold doorknob, he opened the door. His friends were silent and Yugi took a few steps forward, closing the door.

'Yugi…' Anzu's voice broke. Yugi lowered his head, dropping his bag on the floor. They knew, Anzu was sniffing and Jounouchi was breathing heavily.

'How did you know?' Yugi said, his voice shaking. He heard Anzu gasping for air and Jounouchi did not say anything. Anzu was sobbing quietly and Yugi leaned against the door with his back. He knew that his home was like a second home to Anzu. She sobbed quietly and pulled Yugi close to her, burying her face in his shoulder. Yugi froze when he heard other voices, they were not alone, anymore. He did not want anyone else to know, he tried to pull back, but Anzu's grip on him was too strong. 'Anzu…'

The voices were getting louder and Yugi was gently pushing Anzu away. Footsteps and soft whispering made him nervous. 'It's okay, Yugi. They're gone.' Jounouchi was very close to him, he felt Jounouchi's warm hand on his arm, rubbing it soothingly.

'How did you know?' Yugi repeated, another tear rolling down his cheek. His lips were trembling and he felt weak. Someone put his arm around him, supporting him. 'They lied to me, they didn't tell me she was sick. And because I'm blind, I couldn't see it. I couldn't…' He could not talk anymore when he felt someone's forehead against his head.

'Yugi,' Jounouchi whispered in his ear. 'They were probably trying to protect you. We thought she was going to be all right, too. We don't know much about it, and we thought that you knew.' Yugi did not know what to say, he stayed silent and held his breath when a soft hand was placed on his cheek. It was Anzu's hand, Jounouchi pulled back and Yugi leaned into the touch for a moment.

'We're here for you, Yugi,' she said softly. 'Come on, let's take you home.' Yugi took a step back, shaking his head.

'No, I don't want to go home. Tell me, what was wrong with her? What did you see?' Yugi felt nauseous, his body was shaking and he was breathing heavily. Anger was bubbling up in his body. 'What was wrong with her?' He heard Anzu gasping again and Jounouchi sighing softly.

'She didn't have any energy, Yugi,' Anzu said quietly. 'She was wearing a wig, but she kept smiling every time we visited you.'

'She told she didn't want me to see her like this,' Yugi whispered, raising his head. 'She told me when we were in… the hospital yesterday. I wasn't even there, I fell asleep! I don't know what happened, she suddenly told me that she was sick, that's why they had to leave all the time. They've been lying to me ever since I was born!' Yugi could not control it, anymore, he started sobbing and gasping for air. He bent down and picked up his bag.

'Yugi…we…' Yugi shook his head and placed his hand on the wall, walking away. He had no idea how he was going to get home, he did not want to talk to his father and he did not want to talk to Jounouchi and Anzu, either. 'Yugi!' Yugi started running, pulling his hand back and closing his eyes. He tripped when he came to the stairs and landed on the ground, it knocked the air out of him.

'Here, let me help you up.' Yugi opened his eyes when he felt a cold hand on his arm, helping him to his feet. 'You are blind, young one. You should not run.' Yugi's cheeks were still wet and he swallowed as he tried to calm himself down. Cold, thick air was brushing against his ankles and he wanted to run, but his feet were glued to the ground. The cold hand on his arm made him shiver.

'Let go of me,' he said calmly. The other person let his fingers slide over his arm as he pulled it back. 'You killed my mother. Is this your way of destroying my life?'

'Her time had come, there was nothing I could do,' the deep voice said. The voice was cold, yet gentle. Yugi started walking, he wanted to get away from him. Where were Jounouchi and Anzu?

'You killed her, you're a monster.' Yugi let out a startled gasp when two cold arms were wrapped around his waist, pressing him against a wall. They were so cold that Yugi was shivering and his skin was tingling. 'I'm not afraid of you.'

'There was nothing I could do,' the other whispered and Yugi could feel the cold breath in his neck. 'I had to take her away. She is where she belongs now. Your time has not come, yet. Soon, Yugi. Soon.' Yugi was starting to feel lightheaded; his whole body was turning cold.

'Let go of me!' Yugi breathed.

'Yugi?' Yugi let himself slide to the ground, his body was shaking uncontrollably, trying to create some warmth. 'Are you all right?' He closed his eyes, not having the strength to keep them open. Jounouchi had not been there when he was pushed against the wall…

'I'm fine.' He felt Jounouchi's arm around his waist, pulling him up.

'Come on, I'll take you home.'

* * *

**Author's note: ***bites nails nervously* This chapter was pretty short, I'm sorry! Next chapter will be longer, I promise!

I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I wanted to upload it.

**InsaneEvilLittleEmmy:** Thank you! And don't worry, I think everyone wants to kick Yami's ass right now. xD

**yugixyamiyaoilover:** Yeah, it's not very easy for Yugi…

**KaliAnn:** Thank you so much! :D

**Spindlegal:** Ooh, I love that song. You're right, that song is perfect. :D

**DBSKPirateKing:** Yeah, I know it's pretty crazy. It's a crazy plot bunny. xD

**psychicgirl32:** Thank you so much!:D

**FireFox Vixen**: Thank you so much! :D

**Pk Love Omega:** Yeah, I know, sorry about that. xD Thank you!

**SecretHikari:** Thank you so much! :D

**yayubaru1:** Um, he was not that evil in this chapter, right? Hehe…

**CandyassGoth:** Thank you so much! :D

**rinchanmidnight:** You're right about Yugi, but I think if you think of season zero Yami, he's not out of character, at all. xD Thank you!

**Cheshire Cat Girl**: …

Yami: Ow! Stop smacking me, will you?

Oh, I don't know. xD You gonna smack him again? Lol xD

**Redglowingheart:** Thank you! Wow, sorry that it took you so long. :(

**Neko ReiRei:** Thank you, I know it was very sad, sorry. :(

**YamiToMangaka:** Thank you so much! :D

**Roxprincess741:** I did! :D

**CallMeASinner:** Thank you so much! :D


	5. Almost

**Author's note: ***walks in and laughs nervously* Oh look, it took me a month this time. That's not bad. Nope, not at all. I'm improving!

Yami: Ow! Two people smacked me this time! *growls*

**ImmortalAngel92** and Yugi, you guys are awesome! x3

Okay, here's chapter five, enjoy! :)

* * *

Time had flown by and Yugi had changed. For the first time in months, he had used his cane. He had to look for it, he had shoved it under his bed after Jounouchi had promised to pick him up everyday. But he had told Jounouchi that he need some space after the death of his mother and Jounouchi respected that, so Yugi had to use his cane again.

Yugi had noticed that he had not spoken with Jounouchi and Anzu in weeks. They had come to the funeral and Yugi had appreciated it. He had heard the rumors, everyone knew what had happened, his teacher had led him out of the class one week before the funeral.

'I'm very sorry for your loss, Yugi,' she had said. Yugi wished he had walked away. Those words had stabbed him in the chest. The warmth of her soft hand on his shoulder had calmed him down, but… it was just a small gesture.

Yugi looked up, Jack had said something, but he had dozed off. His father grabbed his hand and gently pulled him out of the chair. 'Come on, Yugi.' When he stepped into the room, he felt his father's arm around his shoulder, leading him to a small chair.

'Mr. Mutou?' a soft and gentle voice said. Yugi missed the warmth of his father's arm when Jack replied.

'Yes, we're not too late, are we?' Yugi sat down and folded his hands. They were shaking a little, he was nervous. There was a slim chance that they could fix his problem, he had to take the risk. The woman laughed and Yugi smiled weakly.

'No, of course not. I just have to look for the files, if you will excuse me,' she said. Yugi heard a chair scraping on the floor, a few clicks and the squeaking of the door.

'Is she wearing high heels?' Yugi said, frowning. Jack laughed and patted Yugi's head.

'Yes. I hadn't even noticed that, Yugi,' he said softly. Yugi noticed that his father was nervous, too. His voice was shaking. Yugi placed his hand on Jack's arm, squeezing it. 'Are you sure you want to go through with this?' Yugi nodded.

'I know this is risky, but I want to know if they're able to help me. I don't know what was wrong with my eyes. If I wasn't born blind, then that means that I've seen you and mom, even if I can't remember it. I was just a few hours old, after all…' he said, looking away and tucking at the leather of the small chair.

'Yugi…'

'I want this operation, dad,' Yugi said, narrowing his cloudy eyes. 'Mom died a few months ago and I don't even know where her grave is. Of course I can't remember what I saw when you brought me home, it's probably impossible to even remember the sound of your voices. I want to give it a shot, I want to be able to visit mom's grave. I want to be able to look at the person who's talking to me. So many people keep saying that I should look at them, but…' Yugi shook his head and gritted his teeth.

The door opened again, followed by the familiar clicks and a small sigh when the woman sat down again.

'I haven't introduced myself, yet. My name is Georgia Robinson, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Mutou.' Yugi held his breath when the woman gently grabbed his hand and shook it. 'And you're Yugi, right?'

'Y-yes,' Yugi breathed. Georgia's grip on his hand loosened, Yugi slipped his hand out of her grip. His lips were trembling, it was as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over his clothes. Cold air brushed his shoulders teasingly and Yugi leaned back in his chair, trying to fight his salty tears. He slowly turned his head, closing his eyes.

'I'm sorry, was it something I said?' Georgia sounded rather worried. Yugi didn't want to answer, he knew he would not be able to control himself if he started talking about it. Jack did not say anything, and Yugi was grateful for that. Yugi knew his father was sitting next to him and he opened his eyes, hoping his father saw the way he was looking at him.

'No, there's nothing wrong, Miss Robinson' Jack said and Yugi felt his hand on his arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Yugi smiled weakly, turning back to the woman in front of them, who cleared her throat.

'Alright, then.' There was a soft _click_ and Yugi relaxed when she started writing things down. 'So, Yugi. You are here because you wanted to try the new eye operation, correct?' Yugi nodded, chewing the inside of his cheek. 'Okay, I want to run a few tests and I need to ask you a few questions.' Yugi nodded again.

'First things first. Are you completely blind?'

'Yes,' Yugi said slowly. 'I don't know what colors are, I can't read and I can't write. It's always pure darkness.' Georgia wrote as he spoke.

'Are your eyes damaged? Do your eyes hurt when you blink?'

'No, I was born blind,' Yugi answered quickly. He heard his father moving in his chair, but Yugi ignored him. He knew she was never going to believe him if he told her that he had gone blind when he was just a few hours old. She was a doctor and Yugi knew doctors always needed facts. Nothing happened that day. His parents looked away for a few seconds and…

'Thank you. I'm going to examine your eyes now.' The chair scraped on the floor again and two warm hands grabbed his jawline, gently pushing his face up. Something in Yugi's mind clicked. Her hands felt familiar. 'Try to look up and relax.' She lifted up his head with the tips of her soft fingers and he felt her thumbs under his eyes, pulling the skin down. 'Hm…' Yugi had to blink a couple of times when she pulled back. 'Cataract.'

'Cata-what?' Yugi said, raising an eyebrow.

'Cataract, it's very rare. And you said you were born blind, right?'

'Yes,' Yugi said shakily.

'It's the reason why your eyes are cloudy and gray, Yugi. Cataract is a clouding that develops in the lens of your eye. It obstructs the passage of light, making you unable to see. It is very rare that kids are born with cataract,' Georgia explained. Yugi's blood ran cold and his hands started shaking. 'It doesn't mean that we won't be able to operate, though. We are going to do everything we can…'

'He may be able to get his sight back?' Yugi almost gasped when he heard a chair falling on the floor. Jack's voice sounded hopeful and Yugi's trembling lips curled into a small smile.

'Mr. Mutou, please let me finish. We have to run some tests first to see if Yugi is healthy enough for the operation and… There's always a risk, but that doesn't stop us from trying. It's a very simple surgery. I'm afraid we just have to hope that everything will work out. Now, if you will fill in the form.' There were a few footsteps and Yugi started smiling. 'Okay, thank you. Now, Yugi. We will run some tests. Follow me, please.'

Yugi felt her hand on his shoulder, leading him out of the room.

* * *

The bell rang and everyone stood up. Yugi took his time to put his books in his bag, he knew he was going to end up on the floor if he was going to stand up. Everyone knew he was blind, but he did not want to take the risk. When he was sure everyone had left, he grabbed his cane and stood up.

_Thump_.

Yugi opened the door and closed it. Swallowing, he placed his free hand on the wall and started looking for the exit. He was feeling rather cold, his head was spinning, but he ignored it and bit the inside of his cheek. Cold air brushed his neck, causing him to shiver.

'So close…' Yugi raised his head, closing his eyes and letting his hand slide down the wall. His energy was gone, his knees were shaking and his bag hit the floor. 'It will be so much easier if you just let it go, Yugi.' He let out a shaky breath when he knelt down to grab his bag.

'I will never forgive you,' Yugi whispered quietly, rising to his feet. He rubbed his eyes and placed his hand on the wall again. He had found the exit and placed his hand on the cold doorknob. He still had no idea who this person was, however he knew one thing:

Only he was able to hear that voice.

'Yugi!' Yugi turned to the sound of Jounouchi's voice. He was about to open the door until he heard loud footsteps. 'Hey, Anzu and I are going to Burger World, wanna come?' Yugi was silent for a few seconds before he nodded. Yugi smiled brightly and grabbed Jounouchi's hand.

* * *

Anzu and Jounouchi were talking happily and Yugi laughed when he heard a loud _thud_ and a groan.

'Anzu! Why did you push me?'

'That's what you get for not listening to me,' Anzu said simply. Yugi hugged his sides, still laughing when they started arguing. He had missed these small moments. 'You were so busy thinking about that girl you saw yesterday that you didn't even—'

'Stop talking about that, will you?'

'Hey, Jounouchi-kun.'

'What?'

'Your face is red.' Jounouchi growled and Anzu and Yugi started laughing again. Jounouchi muttered something and Yugi stopped laughing, rubbing his aching sides. He was happy that they were able to talk about other things, it was still hard to talk about the death of his mother. 'Anyway, have you decided yet, Yugi?'

Yugi raised his head, rubbing the back of his head. 'To be honest, I didn't really listen when you read the menu, Anzu,' he said, grinning sheepishly. Anzu laughed and he heard her picking up the menu again.

'How about a hamburger with lots of French fries?' she suggested after a few seconds.

Yugi's lips parted when his stomach made a few flips and his throat started burning. He shivered and hugged his stomach, shutting his eyes. The burning feeling in his throat disappeared, but he was still feeling nauseous.

'Yugi, you okay?' He heard the scraping of one of the chairs and he felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. It was Jounouchi. Yugi nodded, taking a deep breath.

'Yeah, I think I'll take a glass of water.' They did not answer. Yugi was still hugging his stomach, trying to breathe normally. He didn't want to worry them, so he removed his arms and placed them on the table, cracking a smile. 'I'm not hungry.' He felt the warmth of Jounouchi's hand on his shoulder, almost burning his skin. Yugi moved his head, hoping he looked at Jounouchi as he did so and gave him another smile. 'I'm fine. I'm not hungry, that's all.'

Jounouchi hummed, Yugi felt a little bit of pressure on his shoulder before he heard Jounouchi's footsteps. Yugi knew Jounouchi didn't believe him, Jounouchi always hummed when he didn't believe him. Yugi lowered his head, hating the fact that he was not able to see Jounouchi's face. 'All right, then I'll take the hamburger.'

'Me, too,' Anzu said quietly. Yugi shut his eyes, knowing that they knew something was wrong. He was not very good at lying and he wanted to run away. Letting his hand slide off the table, he looked for his cane. Yugi's eyes shot open when he remembered that Jounouchi had taken his cane and had placed it next to his own chair to make sure that Yugi would not trip. 'Oh, the waiter's seen us. You sure you don't want anything, Yugi?'

Yugi nodded, placing his head in his hand. Someone approached them and Yugi moved his head toward the sound.

'Hello, welcome to Burger World,' a soft voice said kindly. 'Are you ready to order?' While Anzu was ordering, Yugi curled up his fingers, feeling his nails almost cutting into his skin. His stomach made a few flips and he held his breath, feeling his nails digging into his skin as he was trying not to retch. He felt the sticky blood on the tips of his fingers. 'All right, thank you.' Yugi coughed when she walked away, placing his hand on his stomach.

'Yugi?' Anzu squeaked. Yugi was still coughing, tears forming in his eyes when he tried to breathe.

'B-bathroom,' Yugi gasped. A chair fell to the ground and someone grabbed Yugi's arm roughly, pulling him out of his chair. Yugi clamped his hand over his mouth as his throat started burning again. He started retching and he shut his eyes again.

'Here…' Yugi sat on his knees and threw up. He gasped for air, leaning on the ground and breathing heavily. Jounouchi's hand was rubbing his back soothingly as he started coughing and retching again. 'Man, Yugi. You should've told me that you were sick.' Small tears were now streaming down his cheeks as he looked up, trying to find some towels. Jounouchi flushed and gave Yugi a small towel. Yugi wiped his mouth and sniffed, thanking Jounouchi.

'It's okay, Yugi. It's not your fault,' Jounouchi said. Yugi flinched when he felt Jounouchi's hand on his forehead, pressing his dry lips together. 'Hmm, you don't have a fever.' Yugi coughed again, moaning in pain and reaching for his throat. 'Come on.' Jounouchi took his hand and led Yugi out of the bathroom. Yugi hung his head when he noticed that everyone had stopped talking and he could almost feel everyone staring at him. He had to get out of here, the burning feeling in his throat was unbearable.

'Yugi?' Yugi felt Anzu's hand on his shoulder, her hand was shaking. 'What happened?' At this point, everyone started talking again and Yugi relaxed. Something cold was placed in his free hand, it was a bottle of water. Yugi started drinking, shivering when the cold liquid went past his burning lips.

'I don't know, Anzu. I'm going to call Jack. Hopefully, he'll be able to pick Yugi up. Is that okay, Yug?' Yugi sighed in defeat, nodding. Jounouchi led him to his chair and Yugi sat down. He heard Jounouchi walking away, dialing a number. Yugi placed his arms on the table, laying his head on them.

'Yugi,' Anzu whispered, her concerned voice entering Yugi's ears like bombs. He covered his face, breathing heavily. Before he could open his mouth, two warm hands had grabbed his fingers and squeezed them reassuringly. 'I'm sorry.' Yugi's dry lips curled into a weak smile when she rubbed his hands in a comforting way. Yugi gasped softly as she placed her hand on his cheek, tracing the fresh wounds. Yugi tried to find the words, he did not know what was going on and he did not know what to say to her. Anzu removed her hand and Yugi missed the warmth already.

'I…,' he said hoarsely, clearing his throat and placing the tips of his fingers on the small wounds. He hissed. 'Ow…'

'What happened, Yugi?' Yugi opened his mouth and closed it again, he could not answer, because he did not know the answer. Loud footsteps grew louder with each step and Yugi's ears perked.

'Yugi,' Jounouchi said quietly. 'I'm taking you home, okay?' Yugi lowered his head, pulling his hands away from Anzu's. He stood up and looked for his jacket. 'Anzu, you coming, too?' Yugi put on his jacket, carefully wrapping it around his shoulders.

'Of course.'

Yugi felt a little bit better when Jounouchi had put his arm around Yugi's shoulder, pulling him close. A small tear rolled down his cheek and he buried his face in Jounouchi's strong arm, tightening his grip on the cane. He had ruined it. It must have been horrible for Jounouchi and Anzu to see him like that. Yugi felt guilt bubbling up in his body and he was sure the cane was going to break if he continued to tighten his grip on it. His hand was shaking, he hid it under his jacket, he did not want Jounouchi and Anzu to notice it.

Jounouchi was trying to cheer him up by talking about other things and Yugi appreciated it, smiling every now and then when Anzu started giggling. They arrived after a few minutes, and Yugi was glad it was over. He put his hand in his pocket after Jounouchi had told him they stood in front of his house.

'Thanks, guys,' Yugi said, grabbing his keys and unlocking the door. He smiled and raised his head, hoping he was looking at Jounouchi.

'Nah, it was nothing.' Yugi was still feeling guilty and he was trying to hide it. He knew Jounouchi wanted to stay here just to be sure, but Yugi did not want him to stay. He wanted to be alone for a while. After a few seconds, he felt something warm and fluffy against his leg. He picked up Maria and she started purring.

'Do you want us to stay with you, Yugi?' Anzu asked, placing her hand on his arm. Yugi laughed softly as Maria started playing with his shirt. Yugi chewed his bottom lip, closing his eyes. He traced Maria's fur, slightly combing the hair with his slender fingers. 'We understand if you don't want us to.'

'I need to be alone for a while,' Yugi breathed. Something snapped, his heart was beating in his ears.

'We understand, Yugi,' Jounouchi said softly. Yugi smiled hopefully, Jounouchi ruffled Yugi's hair playfully and he laughed. 'We'll see you tomorrow.'

'Bye, Yugi.' The door closed and Yugi blinked away the burning tears he had been holding back. Maria was still playing with his shirt, her tiny claws almost pricking into his skin. Yugi felt with his cane and put it in the umbrella stand. He placed his hand on the wall, walking over to the living room. He shivered, pulling his hand back. There were still a few drops of blood on the tips of his fingers. Pressing his lips together, he curled up his fingers, feeling the stickiness of the dried blood on the palm of his hand.

'Ow…'

Yugi gasped. Maria wiggled out of his grip, he heard her running away and Yugi reached for his other hand. A small amount of fresh blood trickled down his palm. He had squeezed Maria's tail and Maria had scratched him. She had never done that. Warm blood streamed down his arm, he bit his lip.

'Crap…' he whispered, carefully walking toward the kitchen. He searched for a paper towel and held it against his hand, trying to stop the bleeding. 'Damn.' Sitting on his knees, Yugi traced the drawers, looking for the fourth one. He opened it and got out the bandages, turning his head when he heard a soft meow. 'Maria?'

Yugi dropped the paper towel, placed his fingers on the sink and rose to his feet.

Bad idea.

Yugi slipped and he could not grab the sink with his bloody fingers. With a small yelp, he managed to grab the edge of the sink, panting heavily. He felt his heart beating in his ears and his whole body was shaking when he noticed his head was near the edge of the drawer. He could have broken his neck.

'That was close…' he muttered, lowering his head. His fingers were slippery and he quickly cleaned his hands with another paper towel. He tasted his salty tears, he had to bite to his lip to keep himself from screaming. Soft, shaky breaths escaped his trembling lips while he rubbed his throbbing hand.

* * *

Blood red eyes scanned the area. He held up his hand and it sent out a small light. A small amethyst orb with a hint of white was resting on his palm, he saw the reflection of his own crimson eyes. He covered the orb with his other hand, closing his eyes when the heat brushed against his cold, pale skin. The orb disappeared and he smirked, showing his small fangs. He took off his hood and shook his bangs out of his face, looking down at his hands.

He raised his hand again and a small portal appeared in front of him. He saw a small white room. Three women were standing in it, one of them was reading something, adjusting her small reading glasses with her free hand. Her blue eyes behind the glasses were filled with sadness. The other two were holding a cup of coffee, talking about their day.

The one with blonde hair and violet eyes looked quite satisfied when she started talking about an operation. The other had red hair and brown eyes, she was taking a sip of her coffee every now and then, laughing softly.

As he stepped through the portal, the woman with the glasses let out a sigh. A satisfied smirk formed itself on his lips as he raised his head, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall.

'I feel so sorry for him,' she said, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes. The other two looked at her, the blonde one raising an eyebrow.

'What's wrong, Georgia?' The woman called Georgia laid the paper on the table and bit the end of her pen. Her eyes softened, looking over her shoulder, probably checking if they were alone. She took a few steps and closed the door. 'You know we're not supposed to talk about each other's patients, right?'

'I know, Mai. But you two are my best friends and I know you won't tell anyone. It's about this boy, Yugi Mutou…' He narrowed his eyes, taking a step closer to them. 'He wanted this eye operation, he's blind… there's something wrong with his eyes. I thought it was cataract, but I'm not so sure about that anymore.'

'What do you mean? What does his chart say?' Georgia gave her the paper to her friend Mai, who she started reading it. The other woman read over her shoulder and Georgia looked at them, folding her hands together. 'You're right. It is weird. When's the operation?'

'Next Wednesday,' Georgia said, taking the paper when the other held it out to her. 'It's a simple procedure, we have to give it a shot. We won't know unless we try, right?' She was nervous. He smirked. 'Shizuka, what do you think?'

The woman with red hair let out a soft squeak, playing a bit with her cup. She avoided their gaze and kept her eyes on the brown liquid.

'I think we shouldn't be talking about this, guys,' she said quietly. 'I mean, it's none of our business, after all…'

'You've got a point there,' Mai said, putting her hands on her hips. Her violet eyes glared at Georgia's nervous blue ones. 'What's so special about this kid, anyway?' Georgia looked away, putting her glasses in her pocket. She clutched the paper in her other hand until her knuckles turned white.

Deciding that he had heard enough, he put the hood back over his head. His laugh filled the cold air and thick, gray smoke consumed him. If the three women were able to see him, they would have seen his blood red eyes glowing brightly for the last few seconds before he completely disappeared.

The room was dark, as usual. The small orb in his hand was sending out a stronger light when he took a step forward. His eyes darkened as he spotted the bed and the small boy lying on it. Being very careful, he walked over to the bed and the corners of his pale lips curled up. After taking another step, he was able to make out the cloudy gray eyes staring at the ceiling. The amethyst orb shone brighter than ever, but he curled his slender fingers around it, his fist shaking as he tried to control it.

For the first time, the gray eyes looked him in the eye. His fist was turning warm, he let out a small sigh and the orb was gone. Gray eyes were still staring at him as the boy sat up, placing his hands in his lap. One of his hands was injured, the white bandages were clearly visible.

'Dad?' he said, blinking.

'Go to sleep, dear one. You will need it,' the other said, holding his hand in front of the boy's face. His pale hand glowed for a second before the gray eyes closed and he held out his arm when the boy fell forward, sleeping soundly. He smiled and sat on the bed, laying the boy down and pulling the covers over the his body. 'Yugi Mutou,' he whispered, still smiling and caressing the boy's cheek with the back of his finger. 'If only you knew…'

He hovered over his body, placing his cold hands on Yugi's warm ones. He closed his eyes, feeling the amount of energy running through his cold hands. Letting out a rather soft growl, he pulled back, running his pale hand over his arm. Yugi stirred, a small tear trickled down the side, creating a wet spot on the white pillow. He raised his head, taking off his hood and brushing his bang out if his face.

'…How much I care about you.'

* * *

**Author's note: **And that was chapter five. Damn, I think this story hates me. I'm not good at writing angst, maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of fluff. x3

Anyway, sorry it took so long! I hope you still liked this chapter, it's longer than the previous chapter. :D

Thank you for the nice reviews: **Spindlegal**, **InsaneEvilLittleEmmy**, **Bookworm**, **Cheshire Cat Girl**, **SecretHikari**, **yugixyamiyaoilover**, **PhantomBrat**, **MissKenniGurl672**, **KaliAnn**, **psychicgirl32**, **Pk Love Omega,** **Lucia Sennen**, **CallMeASinner**, **Redglowingheart**, **Saskie**, **CandyassGoth**, **yayubaru1**, **Neko ReiRei**, **heinz246**, **andysanime** and **ImmortalAngel92**.

You guys rock! x3

*squeaks when Yami suddenly hugs her*

Yami: Thank you! yayubaru1's not going to torture me this time!

Okay, see you in the next chapter!

Yugi: Review! :D


	6. Counting to hundred

**Author's note: **I will put an explanation for the lack of updates at the end of this page.  
I want you to read the chapter first.

Enjoy! :3

* * *

It was a hot in the room. A small amount of sweat trickled down his neck.

'You'll feel a little pressure on your arm, Yugi.' Georgia said. Yugi swallowed and nodded. He felt a large band wrapped around his arm and it started to tighten its grip on it. A small breath escaped his lips. It was as if someone was squeezing his arm very tightly. 'There we go.' She unwrapped the band and grabbed his hands. Something clicked again; her hands felt awfully familiar. 'Squeeze my fingers… Good.'

'…' Yugi shut his mouth. He heard her move, she gently turned him around.

'Okay, I'm going to check your lungs now. I'm checking if you're healthy enough for the operation. We don't want to take any risks. You don't smoke, do you?' Yugi shivered when he felt her hands under his shirt, placing something cold on his back.

'No,' Yugi said quietly.

'Good. Now take slow and deep breaths.' Yugi closed his eyes as he did so. She did not say anything for a full minute, making Yugi nervous. She pulled his shirt down again and patted his back. 'Your lungs are clean. Have you been feeling sick lately? Nausea? Dizziness?'

Yugi froze. He had thrown up a few days ago and he still did not know why. If he told her that, then she would probably cancel the operation. But, he had to get his sight back.

'Yugi?'

'No, I'm fine.' A few clicks echoed through the walls as she walked around.

'Okay, your eyes aren't glassy or red. That's a good sign. Well,' she clapped her hands together and Yugi could hear the smile in her voice. 'The operation is tomorrow morning. Remember, you can't eat after five o'clock, your stomach has to be empty.' Yugi nodded and he heard a few more clicks and a soft sigh from a chair. 'If there's anything you want to talk about…'

He could feel the knots in his stomach, was it written all over his face?

'If you want to get something off your chest, or….'

'I'm fine,' Yugi repeated softly. He leaned forward and he felt his fingers touching something cold, it was her desk. For a second, Yugi thought he had offended her, but she continued.

'What happened to your hand?' Yugi lifted his hand, trying to curl his fingers, which he could not because the bandages prevented it. 'May I see it?' Yugi tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he held out his hand. 'Your hands are shaking.' She gently grabbed his hand and this time, Yugi was sure he knew her touch. Cold air blew over his hands. She had removed the bandages. She traced the three cuts with her fingers. 'That must have hurt. What happened?'

'…My cat scratched me,' Yugi mumbled under his breath, hissing when she pressed lightly. A drawer was opened and a few things were laid on the desk. Yugi did not know what she was doing until he felt something cold on his hand. It was some sort of liquid.

'Yugi, you have to be careful. You could have lost a lot of blood,' she said, placing a plaster on his hand. 'When did this happen?' She turned his hand and placed a small roller onto the palm of his hand. She wrapped the roller around his hand a couple of times and Yugi tried not to move.

'A few days ago. I… squeezed her tail and then she scratched me,' Yugi said. 'My dad wasn't home, but he arrived a few minutes later and helped me.' She patted his hand when she was finished and Yugi pulled his hand back, putting it in his pocket. 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome,' she said kindly. 'Well, I know you're not going to tell me anything so I'll take you back to your father.' After a few seconds, she grabbed his hand again and handed him his cane. 'Come on.'

Yuig hesitated for a moment. He wanted to know why her touches were so familiar. She sounded so familiar, too. But how could that be? She was a doctor and Yugi had never been in the hospital before. He was not fooling himself, he knew he would never forget one sound. He had met her before.

'You coming?' She turned the doorknob, the squeaking of the door filled the air. He had to know.

'Wait.' She closed the door, but she did not move. Yugi did not hear her heels touching the floor. 'Have… we met before?' Yugi said, narrowing his cloudy eyes. He was already digging, trying to find the right memory. Slowly but surely, every single voice he had ever heard crossed his mind.

'Hm, I don't think so. I've worked here for a couple of years now and I have never seen you before. That's a good thing, it means you've never been injured,' she said, laughing softly. Yugi cracked a smile, hoping she would not notice the fakeness of it. 'But it could be possible, maybe we met a long time ago, you never know.'

And then he remembered,

'_This way, dear. Your mother is over here.' _Her voice echoed a few times. He knew who she was.

'You were my mother's doctor,' Yugi whispered. His voice broke. Georgia was silent. He counted the seconds in his head. Yugi took a few steps backwards until his arms touched her desk again and he leaned on it with the ball of his hand. Shaking his head, he breathed through his mouth.

'Your mother's doctor?' Georgia repeated, she walked around the desk and Yugi heard the small sigh of the chair when she sat down. 'Mutou…Mutou…'

The soft tapping of her fingers sliding over the files was making Yugi sweat. Maybe he could ask her what had caused his mother's death? He was her son, she couldn't not tell him what caused her death. Jack always avoided the subject and so did Yugi, how was he supposed to ask him that?

'Here, Georgia Mutou. Oh…' a soft gasp escaped her lips and Yugi felt nauseous again. She probably knew why he was so quiet the first time she introduced herself to him. 'Yugi… I'm so sorry.'

'Why did she die?'

'Yugi, I—'

A soft knocking on the door interrupted her. 'Is everything all right? You said it would only take a few minutes.'

'Dad,' Yugi said, covering his forehead with his hands.

'Everything's all right, Mr. Mutou. Yugi and I were just talking.' Yugi hung his head when he heard the scraping of the chair, Georgia's high heels became louder with each step. He felt her hand on his shoulder, gently leading him to the door. 'You can take him home. I will see you tomorrow. The operation will not take long. An hour and a half should be enough.' Yugi slowly turned to the sound of her voice, quickly whispering when he heard that Jack had already left the room.

'Please, I want to know.'

That is when a new voice whispered something in his ear at the exact same time, he did not even hear Georgia's answer.

He felt the cold words in his neck, 'You will find out sooner or later, Yugi.'

* * *

He felt with his fingers until he felt the glass of the window and gently let his head rest against the cold, yet warm glass. The warmth of the sun had warmed the cold window and Yugi let out a small shaky sigh, enjoying the warmth of the thin surface. He was alone in the classroom. Everyone had already left and he was glad, he needed some time to think.

Jack was not going to be there for another twenty minutes. His father had decided to pick him up since Yugi was still a bit shaky. He could not hold his cane properly, his wounds were still throbbing a bit, even though it had been a few days since Maria had scratched him. Every movement hurt, but it was his fault, after all. If he had not—

'Yugi?' Yugi closed his eyes as he heard Jounouchi's voice.

'Yeah?' he answered quietly. It stayed quiet, Jounouchi did not move. Yugi let his fingers slide down the window until they touched the windowsill. It had been a normal day, there was only one single problem,

He had not told Jounouchi and Anzu about the operation. A small voice in his head had told him not to and so, Yugi thought it was a better idea to not tell his friends about the operation. They were his best friends, but he did not want to worry them with his small problems. He never talked about his blindness and he wanted to keep it that way.

'I thought you'd left already. Let me walk you home.'

Footsteps…

Yugi carefully slid off the windowsill, shaking his head. 'No, you go home. I'll be fine,' he said, smiling reassuringly. Jounouchi's warm hand moved his head a little, Yugi guessed he did that so he was looking Jounouchi in the eye. He knew Jounouchi was taller than him so he lifted his head up and looked up.

'Your dad's coming to pick you up?' Jounouchi sounded suspicious. He knew something was up. Yugi's mouth was slightly open as he looked away. His lips were moving, but no words were coming out. Jounouchi was not a huge fan of his father ever since he had not picked Yugi up after the incident at Burger World. Jack was only working hard to get the money for the operation and because he was the only one with a job in the house.

'Yes. I can't really hold my cane,' Yugi said slowly. Jounouchi's hand slid down to his shoulder and Yugi hoped for the first time of his life that Jounouchi would leave the room without him. He knew he was coming closer to his breaking point, the word "operation" was on the tip of his tongue.

'What happened to your hand?' Jou asked, his fingers lightly touching his bandages.

'Maria,' the other answered in a thick voice. His wounds started to throb painfully and he gritted his teeth. Jounouchi grabbed his hand and gently pulled him forward.

'Well, apparently they're healing. You're already scratching,' he chuckled, putting his arm around Yugi's shoulder and leading him out of the classroom. Yugi frowned, his arms hung limply across his sides, he was not scratching.

'I… I'm not scratching,' he murmured more to himself than to his best friend. Jou ignored him, though, or he had not heard him.

'It's getting dark, stay close.' Before Yugi could move, Jou had already pulled him closer to his body. Jou was not going to leave him there and he had no choice but to follow him. His friend was a lot stronger than him and so protective over him that he would most certainly lose the argument. 'Stairs.' Yugi was so used to the stairs that he took small and careful steps, counting the steps.

Twenty-eight steps. He jumped off the last step and Jou put his hands on Yugi's waist just in case.

'How dark is it now?' he croaked out.

'Twilight,' Jou whispered. 'Come on.'

Cars were driving past them rather fast, some of them honked loudly. Every time a car drove past him, a cold wind that smelled like gas, blew his bangs out of his face. The bandages were wet. Warm blood trickled down his hand, the wounds were open again.

He drew a sharp breath, reaching for his wound.

'YUGI!' A loud horn echoed in his head and he was roughly pulled out of the way when a car drove by. The tires screeched and he heard a few curse words of the driver.

'Hey, watch where you're going, are you blind?'

'As a matter of fact, I am!' Yugi yelled angrily, but the car was too far away. He tried to move, however, Jou had wrapped his arms around his shoulders, breathing heavily into his ear.

'Yugi, I told you to stay close. It's dark, the drivers can barely see you,' he breathed in a thick voice. 'What were you doing?' It took a few seconds before it finally clicked and he breathed out a small, shaky sigh of relief. 'You could've been hit, bud.'

He _could_ have been hit.

…But Jou had his arm around him the whole time. How could he have been standing on the road?

'Someone must have pushed me,' Yugi said simply, lightly leaning forward. His friend was silent for a minute, Yugi's lips were quivering and so were his hands. His heart was beating painfully against his chest, it almost hurt. Jou's hands were squeezing his own.

'Yugi, there's no one here but us. Nobody pushed you,' Jou said quietly. This time, Yugi looked up and hoped he was looking at Jou. 'I'm telling the truth, no one's here. You were suddenly standing there.'

'… I didn't move, though.'

'I'm sorry. Let's get you home before something else happens. I don't want you to get hurt.'

The wounds throbbed painfully when Jou let go of his shoulders. He wiped his hands off on his pants, shutting his eyes when the soaked bandages moved across the open wound. He put his hand in his pocket and tried to stay close to his friend.

* * *

It was the night before the operation and Yugi lay wide-awake in his bed. He had kicked his blanket away, he was sweating and he was holding his fist against his lips. Maybe his father had not cried over her yet. Not at the funeral, not at home, not even in front of his own son. Maybe that was why he had kissed Yugi on his forehead last night and placed his arms over Yugi's and whispered,

'I love you.' Yugi was not sure if his father wanted him to wake up or that he did not want him to wake up at all. The warmth of his arms made Yugi feel safe, and secretly, he hoped that his father had stayed a little longer. He had not felt safe in a very long time. '…So much, little one.'

Yugi shut his eyes and squeezed his pillow. The screams of his father and the tinkling sounds of the plates in the kitchen were heartbreaking. Jack was doing exactly what Yugi had wanted to do for a long time.

Scream. Scream until he had no air, scream until his lungs hurt, scream and cry like his father.

_Crack_! Another plate.

Burying his face in his pillow, Yugi concentrated on the sound. Slowly but surely, the cracking and tinkling of the plates turned into a beautiful melody. It calmed him down, just a bit. And that was all he needed. Just a bit was enough for that night.

_Clang_! A knife. No, this was definitely not enough. Yugi pushed himself up and breathed heavily through his mouth when his arms started shaking under his weight. His arms were too heavy, they could not support his weight. He heard the muffled sobs coming from downstairs. '_Georgia_…'

'Dad,' he whispered, almost choking on his own words. 'I'm so sorry.' More plates crashed onto the floor. Feeling the warm tears welling up in his eyes, he sat on his knees and slid out of bed. He placed his hand on the cold doorknob until he was yanked back. A familiar cold arm was wrapped around his waist and pulled him back.

'No…' Yugi tried to escape out his grip, but it was no use. The anger that he had felt for such a long time finally escaped. 'Let go!'

'Do not leave your room.'

'I have to, he's going to hurt himself!' Yugi slowly fell to his knees, gasping desperately for air when he tried to push the arms away. He ran out of breath so fast that could not even support his own head. He tried to escape, over and over again until his own arms ached. He was too tired to fight back, it was hard to breathe and his eyes were burning. 'Please… Let me go downstairs.'

'No, Yugi. Let it go. Your mother has died in your father's own arms and now he knows that he cannot get her back.'

'He shouldn't blame himself,' Yugi said quietly, dropping his hands. 'It's not his fault.'

'It is not. It is only a matter of time before he realizes that this will not help,' the other said, caressing Yugi's hands. 'You cannot help him right now.' The pain only grew. He missed her so much, he did not care that they had lied to him. All he wanted was to see her, to talk to her, to hear her soothing words. 'The pain will go away if you start listening to me. You want to be free, do you not?'

'…Yes.'

'Then let me help you.' The small whisper caused his eyes to snap open. The arms wandered over his own arms, moving down to his wrists and circling their fingers around it. 'No one can live with this pain, you will have to get rid of it.' His anger vanished when he heard those words. Get rid of the pain, he needed to get rid of the pain. But how…

Jack's voice interrupted his thoughts. The cold arms were gone and Yugi hung his head, feeling one tear sliding down his nose. He blinked, letting out a soft sigh.

'Yugi?' The door opened and Yugi quickly rose to his feet, looking around. 'Yugi.' Two warm arms were wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him to his father's chest. 'I heard screaming. Are you all right?' He felt Jack's wet cheek against his neck, the cold, dried tears sticking to his skin.

'I'm fine, dad. It was just a nightmare.' The cold chuckle in his ear sent a shiver down his spine. 'A horrible nightmare.'

'I'll sleep with you tonight,' Jack whispered, leading Yugi backwards and carefully laying him down on his bed. He lay down next to his son and put his arm around him. 'I'm here.' After a couple of minutes, his father fell asleep. His slow and deep breaths were keeping Yugi awake. He wanted to fall asleep, but could not. The words of the man kept repeating themselves in his mind and he felt another presence in the room. He had to find out what was happening to him and who that stranger was.

* * *

'Good morning, Yugi. Are you ready?' Georgia sounded happy and awake, she was obviously a morning person. Yugi was lying in a bed, feeling a bit drowsy. They had given him some pills to make it easier for him to fall asleep in the operation room. They had taken away his clothes, he was wearing hospital clothes. They felt like silk, very soft and loose.

'As ready as I'll ever be,' Yugi mumbled, giving her a small smile.

'Great! Well, you don't have to get up, we'll ride you to the operation room and everything will be fine. Shizuka, can you help me?' A new, kind voice answered her right away.

'Of course,' the voice said. He could hear the soft screeching of the wheels of the bed and he held onto the edges of the bed, blinking. 'Don't worry, we'll make sure nothing happens to you, Yugi. We'll be there in a minute.' The small turns felt weird, all Yugi could do was sit there and wait for it to happen. He felt like a small child, looking up every time he heard a new sound.

'We're here,' Georgia announced softly. More voices entered his ears, he did not know there were going to be more people in the operation room. As if Georgia could read his mind, she continued, 'There a couple of interns here, they still need to learn a lot and your operation was the perfect opportunity.'

'I won't remember any of this anyway,' Yugi said, noticing that he was getting nervous.

'This will hurt, but I need you to hold still,' someone said. He felt a gloved hand grabbing his own hand and wetting the back of his hand with a small cotton pad. 'Here comes the needle. It will put you to sleep.' A sharp pain shot through his hand and he bit his lip. He felt a small drop of liquid trickling down his hand, but it was wiped away with another cotton pad.

Then, he felt a hand under his head, gently lifting it up. Something was placed over his nose and mouth. 'Try counting to hundred, Yugi.' His eyelids felt heavier with each blink.

He started counting in his head.

_One._

_Two…_

…_Thr—_

His eyelids dropped before he could finish and he fell asleep right away.

* * *

**Author's note:**

All righty, here's the explanation, as promised. (Prepare for my seriousness)

It's been six months. Roughly. Still, it's been a very long time and I must apologize for not updating _anything _in such a long time. (The new story doesn't count, it's not really an update) I don't know if people have read my profile, for those who haven't, I'll say it right now:

I've considered quitting for good. Writing is getting harder and harder for me, but it means a lot, so I don't think I will ever stop. A lot has happened and I think it's unfair to stop writing just because I've been in a bad mood for such a long time.

This doesn't mean my updates will be faster, I will try, though, but I doubt they will be faster in the future. I started this chapter _months _ago and every time I opened the document, I kept deleting every word I wrote, hence the long-ass pause.

I'm very sorry and I'll try updating more than once a year. And I'm sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter, I checked it three times, but I'm only human, as you hopefully noticed.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was pretty short, but there are a lot important things in it. I'll also try to make next chapter longer~.

And holy shizzle, over 100 reviews? Thanks for all your reviews, you know who you are and that you rock! :D


	7. The People You Trust

**Author's note: **An update. HA. Didn't see that coming, did you?

The new FanFiction design. I didn't see that coming, so I guess we're even.

So, it's been four months and I have to say that I enjoyed writing this chapter. My inspiration is slowly coming back to me and I haven't been that busy lately so everything should be just fine. This chapter is a bit longer, like I promised, yay~. :3

Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are very patient and I admire that. xP

Enjoy!

* * *

Hospital smell, he had never noticed how strong that smell was. But now that he had been there in the hospital for a long time (he did not know how long) he was starting to get sick of it. It was a strong, rather clean smell, and still, he was the most sickening smell in the world. Wait… He could smell? Every single muscle in his body was slowly starting to react to its orders. And thus, he sat up with a soft groan.

When he tried to blink, he noticed that his eyes were already closed and that he was unable to move his eyelids, it was like they were glued to his skin. Feeling a little anxious, he raised his hand to place the tips of his fingers on his skin, but he did not feel his skin. It was something very soft and delicate, like a second skin, but human skin did not have tiny holes. He traced the soft surface and then the memories came flowing back to him.

'Dad?' he croaked out. No one was in the room, he was on his own. They had probably left; the doctors did say it could take a few hours for him to wake up. Jack was really busy these days and Yugi could not blame him. He wanted to be busy, too, so he would not be able to think too much about his mother. Dropping his hand, he tried to get out of bed. Maybe it would not be a very good idea, since this was the first time he was in this room and he did not know anything about his surroundings, but that did not stop him.

His feet tingled slightly when they touched the cold surface of the floor. He noticed that the smell of the hospital was getting worse and that he wanted to get out of this building as soon as possible. He muttered the small wish under his breath and felt around with his hands.

A small knock on his door made his ears perk. There was another knock, it was a soft knock, indicating that this was at least a patient person and not some annoyed doctor or nurse. Yugi straightened up and tucked on his hospital clothes.

'Come in,' he said quietly. He tried to find something to lean on, he was still a bit drowsy and it was hard to remain on his feet. The door opened with a small squeak, followed by rather quiet steps. He knew most of the nurses in this hospital walked around in heels, so this had to be a man.

'Yugi Mutou?' Yugi froze immediately. He knew that deep voice.

'What do you want?' he said through gritted teeth. There was a long pause, the door was closed with a small _thud _and Yugi could only hear the faint noises of other people's voices behind the closed door. The person in front of him cleared his throat and he felt a small tap on his hand, signaling that he wanted to take it. Yugi hesitantly extended his hand and a larger, warmer hand shook it.

'I think you're confusing me with someone else, Yugi. We haven't met, yet,' the stranger said, gently squeezing his hand. 'Your father sent me here so I could talk to you. I started working here five years ago and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you before. I'm a psychologist.' If Yugi could move his eyelids, his eyes would have popped out of his head.

'_Psychologist?_' He had to resist the urge to spit the word out of his mouth. 'What…?'

'Let's sit down and I'll introduce myself first. This is all going very fast and I understand that you're confused. I will explain everything to you, don't worry.' The same warm hand from before placed itself on Yugi's back and he was gently guided to his bed. 'Are you feeling well enough? Do you want some water?'

'I'm still tired, that's all,' Yugi mumbled. 'What's going on? I don't need a psychologist, I'm not crazy.' A rich laugh filled the air and a small shiver went down Yugi's spine. And this shiver was not the same as the other ones before.

'So you think that I only talk to crazy people? You are very wrong, Yugi. I know you are not crazy, on the contrary, your father has told me a lot of things about you and I think you are very wise for your age. You're sixteen years old, right?' Slowly but surely, Yugi was starting to get used to the other's presence. He was not the man who he had expected, this was a much warmer and kinder person.

'I just don't understand why my dad would send a psychologist to talk to me. I always tell him everything.' Another small pause, he heard the psychologist shift in his chair. The other was pretty neutral and it made Yugi feel comfortable. At least he was not so… judging.

'Well, tell me what you tell him, I'd like to know everything about you.'

'I thought my dad already told you everything,' Yugi remarked. He wanted to raise his eyebrow, but the bandages prevented that move. He folded his fingers together in his lap and leaned forward. He heard another chuckle and he felt a small tuck at the corners of his lips, this man's laugh was pretty contagious.

'I think I'm gonna enjoy talking to you. It's true that Jack told me a lot, but don't you think that you know yourself better than your father? You are the one that can tell me everything there is to know about you and I'm here for two whole hours so there's no need to rush. We can take things slowly. Let's start off with an easy question,' Yugi waited nervously, squeezing his own fingers. 'Oh… My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself.'

Yugi let out a slightly nervous laugh, still fiddling with his fingers. He was not looking forward to talking about himself, he hated doing that and the longer they had to wait, the better. Though, he was sure he was not going to keep this up for at least _two hours_.

He felt the other leaning forward and placing a hand on his knee. 'My name is Atemu Sasaki, and I think I already said that it is nice to meet you, Yugi Mutou.'

* * *

Anzu was biting her manicured nails nervously. Jou was sitting next to her, trying to keep a pencil to stay on his nose. The long, black arms of the clock ticked slowly, the longest had almost reached the huge twelve and Anzu honestly could not wait any longer. She had to know if Yugi was all right. The teacher kept talking about the math problem that was written on the whiteboard, clearly oblivious of his nervous student. Anzu looked at Jou and shot him a furious glare, but he did not even notice. His brown eyes were focused on the yellow pencil that was just two centimeters away from them.

'Jou!' Anzu whispered harshly. Jou hummed in response, not taking his eyes off the pencil. With a small sigh, Anzu pressed her index finger against the inside of her thumb, held it in front of the pencil and let go of her index finger, causing the pencil to fly across the room with enormous speed. It smacked against the wall and landed on the floor, most of the students followed the pencil with their eyes, fascinated by the small object rolling on the floor.

'Jounouchi!' Jou almost jumped out of his chair and looked the teacher in the eye. Everyone grew silent and stared at the teacher, who was leaning over Jou's desk with his huge hands. 'Did you just throw a pencil at the wall?' Anzu bit her lip, feeling guilty. After all, it was her fault that Jou was being accused of this racket. Jou cleared his throat and tucked on his collar, a small amount of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.

'N-no, sir. It rolled off my desk,' he said with a small grin. The teacher was obviously not convinced and raised an eyebrow.

'You know the rules, Jounouchi. Detention.' He walked back towards the whiteboard and Jou groaned, letting his forehead fall onto his desk. The teacher looked over his shoulder, but did not say anything and continued to explain. Anzu put her cheek in her hand, letting out a small breath. This was not good, she could not leave without Jou, they had to see Yugi in the hospital. They had visited him during their free period this morning, Yugi was awake for a couple of minutes, but he was still recovering from the surgery and he had muttered a couple of things that he had kept bottled up. Anzu wanted to know more and she was not going there alone, Yugi did trust her, but she felt the she needed to take Jou with her. Yugi would probably not discuss his problems with a girl, even if they were best friends.

Jou rolled his face towards Anzu, looked at the teacher, then back to Anzu, trying to send her a message without words. Anzu shut her eyes, massaging her forehead with her head. She did not really have a choice, this was too important to her to let it go.

'Mister Nakamura?' Said teacher looked over his shoulder once again, his square glasses glistening in the sun and making his blue eyes almost invisible behind the white surface. Anzu hated it when she could not see the expression in his eyes, she could not tell if he had calmed down from the small incident or that he was still irritated. She swallowed and lifted herself up. 'I was the one who threw the pencil. I'm sorry.' Jou looked up at her with a huge frown and some other guys in class whistled loudly, the girls only watched with amusement. Anzu had never liked the girls in her class.

Nakamura was shocked and he pushed his glasses back with the tip of his middle finger. He put down his pen and folded his arms over his chest, not taking his eyes off his student.

'That really surprises me, Mazaki. Are you telling the truth or did Jounouchi set you up?' Anzu quickly shook her head, putting her hands behind her back, something she always did when she tried to look innocent. Most of the time it softened people up, it was one of the things she was good at and sometimes, used to her advantage.

'I'm telling the truth, sir. It's my entire fault. But I promise that I will never do it again…' she looked away and sucked in her bottom lip. She kept her eyes on the floor, praying that she could leave after this class. She had to see Yugi, nothing was more important.

'Well, since this is your first time, I'll let you go. Just this once, though,' he sighed. He looked at the clock and waved his class off. 'Class dismissed.' Right at that moment, the bell rang and everyone ran out, laughing and chatting happily. Anzu turned to Jou and high fived him with a small laugh. Nakamura left the class with his suitcase so Anzu and Jou were alone.

'I can't believe he let you off the hook. How do you do it?' Anzu zipped up her schoolbag and slung it over her shoulder.

'That doesn't matter. We have to see Yugi.' They left the classroom and ran out of the school. Anzu ran ahead of Jou, making sure Jou could keep up the pace, she had never run this fast in her entire life. She had to know more about this situation, she secretly hoped that Yugi was still a bit drugged, because she knew he had the urge to keep things bottled up. He never wanted to bother anyone with his problems, that was just the way he was, but they had to find out more about this.

'Oi, Anzu! Slow down!' Anzu ignored her panting friend and kept running. It was as if her lungs were on fire, they screamed for air, but no matter how much pain she had, she kept running. They ran for a good fifteen minutes until they reached the hospital. Anzu had to lean on Jou to make sure she would not fall over and Jou was leaning against the wall with his shoulder, panting like a dog. 'Damn it, Anzu… Couldn't slow down for one second… could you?'

Anzu did not have enough air to answer and just walked through the glass door, her long legs shaking under her weight. The woman behind the counter was typing absently and staring at the computer screen, absorbed into her work. Jou leaned on the counter with his elbow and ran a hand through his bangs to look more presentable, saying,

'Good day, we're looking for Yugi Mutou. We're his friends.' The woman looked up, blinking a couple of times before she nodded, typed in a few things and looked back at them.

'Ah, Yugi Mutou. I'm sorry, he's busy now. Please wait in the lobby.' Anzu frowned, placing one hand on her hip and glaring accusingly at the woman.

'Busy? What do you mean, "busy"?' The woman straightened up, raising an eyebrow at her.

'I'm afraid that it's none of your conern, Miss. He'll be done in a few minutes. Please wait in the lobby.' However, Anzu was not done yet. She leaned over the counter, gripping the hard surface like a lioness.

'I'm afraid it _is_. I'm his best friend and I want to know what is going on.' Jou's eyes widened and he held his hands up in defeat, being smart and letting Anzu deal with this weird situation. 'I need to talk to him, I don't care if he's "busy", he would've told me if he had an important appointment.' The woman answered with a glare of her own, moving her pale face towards Anzu's, Anzu did not move an inch. They stayed like this for a good few seconds and Anzu smirked inwardly, knowing she was going to win this.

'Wait. In. The. Lobby,' the woman hissed. 'Thank you.' Anzu huffed and dragged Jou towards the lobby, which was connected to the hall. Jou was trying to get away from Anzu's iron grip, however, Anzu was so furious that she only tightened her grip and practically threw him in the nearest chair, muttering a few colorful words about that woman.

Just when Anzu took a seat, she stood up again. Someone who looked a lot like Yugi walked towards the counter, he had the same unusual hair colors and style, except for the larger blond bangs going up. His blood red eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses and he had a gentle smile on his face as he talked to the woman. Anzu kept an eye on him, not sure if she trusted him. The man was wearing a black suit with a dark blue tie tied around his neck. His skin was brown, almost like chocolate and it made Anzu think that this guy was not from around here.

She tried to hear their conversation, but she could not hear any accent. Either this guy was really good at Japanese or he was just speaking his first language after all. The woman behind the counter was smiling shyly, she obviously had a thing for him and Anzu knew that look too well. If she did not know better, this could have been something one would see in High School everyday.

The man gave her one last smile before he suddenly turned around to meet her curious eyes. Anzu let out a small squeak, not expecting this, at all. Jou was staring at the man, also, gripping the arm of his chair. Anzu looked at Jou for a second, shaking her head before she turned back to the man.

'Can I help you?' she said when he stood in front of her. The other simply smiled and put down his brown suitcase.

'You must be Anzu Mazaki,' he said, his deep voice making Anzu's skin tingle. She felt the goose bumps starting at her arms, going down her back and all the way down to her ankles. She was speechless for a moment before she blinked, realizing he had said her name. He was somewhere in his early twenties, she did not know anyone in their early twenties, she was absolutely sure about that.

'How do you know my name?'

'Yugi told me a couple of things about you. You and him are best friends, right?' He looked down at Jou, still smiling warmly. 'And you're Jounouchi, correct?' Jou stood up and narrowed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.

'Who the heck are you? His long lost brother, or something? Yugi doesn't easily trust strangers, unless you have a really good reason.' The man reached for his pocket and got out a small card.

'Is being a psychologist a good reason?' he said, grinning. Jou and Anzu looked at each other, quite defeated. 'My name is Atemu Sasaki, Yugi's psychologist. I work here almost everyday and Yugi and I had an appointment today. He woke up two hours ago and we've been talking since then. I've noticed that he talks about everything except about himself, he's quite good at avoiding that subject.'

'Tell me about it,' Anzu and Jou said at the same time. The three of them laughed softly and Anzu held one of her arms shyly, twirling the tip of her shoe on the floor, feeling rather embarrassed for not trusting this man. 'Is he all right, though?'

'Never better from what I've seen. You can go see him now, I think he'd like that.' They bowed and watched him walked past them. Anzu turned to Jou, feeling the heat rising to her round cheeks.

'That was embarrassing,' she mumbled quietly, looking away. Jou kept following Atemu with his eyes until he opened a white door and closed it behind him, making Jou unable to look at him anymore. 'We should go see Yugi. Come on.' Making sure to avoid eye contact with the woman behind the counter, Anzu and Jou walked to the elevators and Jou pressed the bright yellow button next to the large, white 3.

The elevator made a small beeping noise as it reached the right floor. Anzu and Jou walked out of the small room and started looking for Yugi's room once again, just like they did this morning.

'Room 375, right?' Jou turned to Anzu with a sheepish grin and Anzu nodded. Jou read the numbers of the rooms aloud and stopped when they reached the right door. It was quiet on the other side, so Anzu guessed that Yugi was just lying in his bed. She wrapped her slim fingers around the doorknob and twisted it.

'Yugi?' she placed her hand on the other side of the door, slowly walking into the room. Yugi was indeed lying on his bed, with his hands resting on his lower stomach. The bandages around his eyes were still there and he moved his head towards Anzu's head. His pale, dry lips curled into a wide smile.

'Anzu, Jou?' Jou followed Anzu into the room and closed the door behind him. Anzu walked over to the bed and took a seat next to Yugi's feet. The sheets of the bed were tucked in and one of the windows was open, the white curtains were floating happily in the wind and Anzu saw that a chair standing next to the bed. Atemu had probably sat there. She took one of Yugi's hands and squeezed it gently.

'Yes, we're here. Just like we promised,' she said, smiling. Jou sat on the arm of the chair and ruffled Yugi's hair. Yugi chuckled and carefully moved out of the way.

'Hey, Yugi. Since when do you have a psychologist? And since when do psychologists look like your older brother?' Anzu shot him a glare for the second time that day and used her other hand to rub her forehead. She wanted to take things slowly and not jump to Atemu right away. She knew Yugi was not very easy with these things.

She looked at Yugi and saw how his whole attitude changed. He pulled his hand away from Anzu's and sat up, leaning against the pillows. 'You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. And Jou, you know that you shouldn't ask those questions.' She put emphasis on the last sentence, lowering her head so she was sure Jou would understand what she meant.

'No, it's okay. My dad sent him and I have to say, that it did feel weird to talk to him. He was really nice and all, but still, I didn't really know the guy, which made it kind of hard—' Yugi stopped for a second and moved his head towards Jou's head. Anzu's eyes softened when she say that Yugi was looking past Jou. 'How do you know he looked like me? Did you meet him, or something?'

'We met him in the lobby,' Anzu said before Jou could open his mouth. 'He seemed like a nice guy. He told us that you spoke for about two hours and that you talked about us.'

Yugi nodded. 'Yeah, I did. He wanted to know some things, so we could get to know each other. I just told him that I have two best friends in school, I think he wrote everything down, but don't worry, he's not allowed to talk about personal information.'

A tight feeling was starting to develop in Anzu's chest, it was as if someone was squeezing the air out of her. A cold feeling made its way through her veins and she gasped quietly. It felt like someone had dumped a huge bucket of ice cold water over her head and she shivered. She jumped off the bed and closed the window as soon as she could. Jou stared at her and Yugi lowered his head a bit, fiddling with his fingers.

'Everything okay?' Jou asked. Anzu blinked.

'Aren't you cold? I'm practically freezing!' Jou stared more, frowning and Yugi stayed quiet.

'Maybe you're too sensitive. It's not that cold. Hell, I'm feeling hot, I'm gonna take my jacket off.' Anzu blinked again, leaning on the window with the balls of her hands, she looked at Yugi was now even paler than usual. 'Yugi?' Said person looked up, he smiled.

'Yeah?'

Jou opened his mouth, but Anzu interrupted him again, 'Yugi, we want to know more about that guy that you told us about.' Yugi looked towards her and Anzu could see his eyebrows moving under the bandages.

'You mean my psychologist?'

'No,' Anzu took a seat on the bed again and sighed nervously. 'When you were still under anesthesia, you told us that you made a promise to some guy more than ten years ago and that he has been around since then, trying to talk you into things. At least, that's what I picked up. You were being very vague, but you had me worried all day long. It doesn't sound good.' The whole room was quiet. All the colors had drained from Yugi's face and his hands were shaking against the sheets. Jou leaned back in his chair and looked at Anzu, shaking his head. Anzu tried to make it clear that this was too important to let go.

'You say and do the weirdest things when you wake up after an operation, Anzu,' Yugi said, chuckling. 'Why would some stranger talk to me?'

'It's possible,' a new voice said. They all looked up and saw Yugi's father standing in the doorway. Anzu was surprised that Yugi had not noticed, she knew that Yugi always heard every single sound in a room. 'And because you will not talk to me or anyone else, I found you a psychologist. Maybe it'll help you.' Jack walked further into the room, closing the door with his foot and he stood at the end of Yugi's bed. His greying hair was pointing towards the ceiling and the bags under his eyes were darker than the last time Anzu had seen them.

'I do talk to you. Or at least, I try to. It's you who never listens to me,' Yugi said coolly. Jack gripped the end of the bed, looking at his son with a small amount of hurt in his eyes.

'Look, son, we're both going through a hard time and I think it's best that you have someone you can talk to. And I think you know that we know you don't talk about your problems. You need to know that it can destroy you from the inside. Atemu looks like a nice and patient guy, so there should be no problem.'

Anzu was starting to feel uncomfortable, fortunately the cold feeling was gone. She looked at Jou, who was rubbing Yugi's arm soothingly.

'I just don't see why you didn't tell me about this. When he suddenly knocked on my door I thought it was someone else.' At this point, everyone looked at Yugi. Anzu moved closer to him, her protective side taking over.

'Who?' Yugi casually shrugged.

'I don't know, it could've been anyone. But that's not the point. I don't like the fact that you planned this behind my back, dad.' Jack pulled back from the bed and took a few steps towards the door.

'It's for the best. I don't want anything to happen to you just because you think too much.' He closed the door with a loud _bang _and Anzu cringed.

'He's lying,' Yugi stated. 'There's another reason behind this all and he doesn't want to tell me. Unfortunately for him, I can hear it in his voice. I just can't figure out what it is.' Anzu looked down at Yugi's hand and tipped her head to one side. He was scratching his hand aggressively, it looked like a small child who was scratching around the edges of his open wounds because it itched. Her eyes widened when a small amount of blood wetted the bandage around his hand. She wanted to stop him from scratching, but it was as if her body was frozen in place.

Blood was soaking the bandage and Yugi just kept scratching. Anzu was able to move again and reached for Yugi's hand, quickly pulling it away from his other hand. 'Yugi!' The red liquid trickled down his hand and Jou cursed loudly.

'What the hell did you do, Yugi? I'm gonna get a nurse.' Jou rose from his chair and ran out of the room. Anzu flew from the bed and went into the bathroom to get some toilet paper. She looked around in the tiny room and she found a small roll of toilet paper next to the tiolet. She grabbed it, wrapped some of the paper around her hand, ripped it off and looked up. A small mirror hung in the bathroom and she thought she saw something moving. She walked up to the mirror and saw her own reflection; a loud scream ripped from her throat.

* * *

**Author's note: ***smiling nervously* Cliffhangers. YOU GOTTA LOVE 'EM. MIRRORS. YOU GOTTA LOVE 'EM, TOO.

And confusing the fuck out of your readers by adding Atemu is also something you gotta love. *shot by everyone*

Ahem, so this chapter is longer, yes, I looked at the amount of words and I can proudly say that it was longer than the previous chapter. And it's also from Anzu's point of view. I've never done that before, but as you can see, I had a very good reason to do that. I got a bit carried away, this chapter was a bit different in my head, but I guess it turned out all right.

This is _not _gonna be a horror story, in case you were thinking that. Oh hell no, I hate horror. It might get a bit creepy but there's not gonna be some kind of bloody zombie, or something like that. Blegh.

If I find any mistakes in this chapter, I shall kill it with fire. Curse the fact that my English derps when I write.

Random note: This is my first update as a 17-year-old, I started this story when I was 15. Trololol. I feel old.

See you next chapter! Reviews are always nice~! :D


	8. The Truth

**Author's note: ***sweatdrop* Maybe I can finish this story before I turn 18, I still have seven months, I should be able to do that… Right?  
And wow, people are still reading this? I feel so loved~. Thank you so much for all the reviews! x3

There were a lot of questions about Atemu, which is understandable, hopefully this chapter will make everything clear.

Enjoy the new chapter~.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_The annoying noise came from his right, he wanted nothing more than to make that noise stop. It had been bothering him ever since he woke up. A warm hand wrapped itself around his own hand, lifting his fingers up one by one, then he felt two fingers right under his jaw, pressing softly on the skin. His steady heartbeat let the person know he was perfectly fine and that he could be left alone, because after two more seconds, he heard footsteps walking away from him. _

_His eyes were closed, he could not open them, the bandages prevented it, they were wrapped securely around his head and the knot was on the back of his head, hurting him every time he tried to lean the back of his head against the soft pillow it was resting upon. _

'_Is he all right?' a familiar voice said. 'You see, we're his friends and we didn't know about this operation until his father told us about it. We need to speak to him.' Alarming bells rang in his head, he had to get up and get out of there. When he tried to sit up he fell back down again, his whole body felt like a heavy bag filled with stones, he would never be able to lift himself up. Though it did not stop him from trying. _

'_He just woke up, sir. I don't think it's wise for you to talk to him right now, let him rest.' He kept trying to sit up and get out of the bed, but his body did not obey. The squeaking of a door reached his ears, he looked around to find the source of the squeaking and found it to be at his right. 'Fine, but know that we usually never do this, sir.' The nurse spoke in a kind voice, but it was a bit forced. _

'_Yeah, thanks.' The same footsteps from before walked away again to give them some privacy, and he wished the nurse would stay to be there for him. A person leaned over him, their breath was shaky, as if they were nervous. 'Yugi? What the hell, man?' It was Jounouchi. He felt a couple of hairs on his face, gently caressing his skin, Jou must have been real close to him. _

'_Hey,' he managed to croak out. His voice was hoarse. His brain was not functioning well, he could not fully control his body or the words that wanted to come out of his mouth. He tried to sit up again, bumping into Jou's chest as he went and he started to laugh. 'Oops. Sorry.' _

_His shoulders were loose and it was as if his arms were glued to the mattress. A sharp pain shot through his hand, he made an unpleasant sound and looked down at his injured hand. _

'_Why didn't you tell us about this operation? We're your best friends, you know,' Jou said angrily. Yugi merely shrugged, a smile spreading across his face. 'What's so funny?' He managed to raise his injured hand and waved it around a bit. _

'_It didn't hurt in case you were wondering. However, what they did to my hand… That really hurt,' he said quietly, rubbing over his hand, meeting his infusion and a soft tube. 'The operation did not hurt, but this did. It still hurts…' He kept mumbling, he could not stop himself. The other was silent, the smile grew distant on Yugi's face and he felt like talking more. 'I need to get these tubes out of my nose.' He tried tucking them out and, surprisingly, it worked. _

'_Maybe coming here wasn't a good idea after all, we should probably leave him alone, he's still under anesthesia,' another voice said. It was a girl's voice, a very worried voice that lingered nervously in the air. _

'_Anzu!' Yugi looked up to find where her voice was coming from. 'Hey! How are you?' She let out what sounded like a soft gasp and he felt weight on the bed, right were his knees were. Warm, yet shaky hands placed themselves on his knees, gently patting the joints. 'Anzu?' _

'_I-I'm fine, Yugi. How are you feeling?' He shrugged, leaning to his left and then to his right, he shifted his shoulders as if to stretch them. 'Do you think the operation worked?' The words did not mean a thing to him, he had to concentrate on the words to understand them and he was way too tired to do that. Instead, he opened his mouth again and said the first thing that was on his mind. _

'_Someone's after me.' _

'_What?' Jou and Anzu said in unison. Anzu had jumped off the bed and Yugi felt Jou reached forward to grab his shoulders and shake him somewhat roughly. 'What do you mean by that? Why did you never tell us that?' The waterfall of words slowly leaked out, he could not control them anymore, a permanent silly smile was on his face as he started explaining. _

'_When I was four or five, I can't remember, I made a promise to a guy, he said he was going to take me to the most wonderful place. I want to know what kind of place that is, maybe I will be able to see there… Maybe my parents would actually pay attention to me…' _

'_What promise? What did you tell him?' Jou was urging him to speak, he sat on the bed, almost straddling Yugi's waist and shaking his shoulders until he started speaking again. It did not hurt him, Jou's grip was almost too strong for him to handle, his brain was still trying to gain its control back and his body felt rather numb._

'_That he is going to pick me up and he's been following me ever since,' he told his best friend with a lame smile. '… Beautiful deep voice, always cold, though… So cold... I'm tired…' _

'_Yugi! What the hell are you—' _

'_Jounouchi-kun.' The shaking stopped and the grip loosened, Yugi was free to move around again. A cold feeling slowly crept over his shoulders and his neck, it felt like fingers, cold fingers. 'It's best if we leave him alone. He needs to sleep and he's still recovering from the operation. We'll come back later today and ask him about it.' Anzu's voice was calm, forced, but calm. She was probably worried about him, though he could not fully register it in his mind. Instead, he leaned backwards and forwards repeatedly, bobbing his head in the process. Then he heard a small whisper, 'I mean, look at him. He's not himself. He could be lying for all we know.' _

'_What is going on here?' It was the same nurse as before, a sweet smelling perfume washed over him, the cold feeling around his neck was gone and he smiled contently. 'Sir, can you please get off my patient? I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave; my patient needs rest.'_

* * *

A cold hand was wrapped around her throat, the scream that had wanted to escape her lips died down after another hand was placed on her mouth. Cold blood red eyes carefully studied her face, the eyes were so deep and intense, she could have drowned in them. She could not see his face for it was hidden underneath a cloak, only his red eyes peeked through blond bangs. His cool breath ghosted over her face and she could make out two small fangs. The small room felt as cold as ice, not warm like it was before, the air felt tense, so tense she could almost taste its sour taste on the tip of her tongue.

'Anzu Mazaki,' the man whispered. Anzu's pupils had grown so large that they appeared to be black holes, the color of her irises was barely visible. 'I do not mean any harm, so calm down.' If only she could, her body was being painfully squished between the stranger and the sink, his hands felt cold, as if no warm blood was streaming through his veins. His eyes were boring holes into her own, never did he look away or blink.

The only thing she could do was nod, though she was anything but calm. Her eyes darted to the door, he followed her example and immediately pushed her further into the sink, making her moan in pain. 'Do not even think about escaping. I want to make some things very clear. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it. But you see, I cannot hurt you in any way, because it is simply not your time to leave this place, yet.'

Her eyes widened at his words. If only she could see his face to find some more answers, she had always been good at reading people, but now that it was concealed she could only hope for more words to clear things up. She said something, her muffled voice softly lingered in the cold air, the stranger's eyes softened, he removed his hand from her mouth, slowly tracing her jaw as he pulled his hand back.

'So young and fragile,' he whispered.

'Who are you?' Anzu demanded softly. She had gathered all of her courage to stand up straight, she walked around the sink, leaning against the wall so she could sooth the pain in her back. 'I want to know.' The stranger stayed still, he made no movement whatsoever, only stared at her, she hated to deny it, but she admired those beautiful capturing eyes.

'It does not matter who I am, only what I want. And what I want,' he took a step forward, putting his hands above Anzu's head so he could lean forward. She wanted to sink to the floor, anything to avoid his gaze, it was as if he was hypnotizing her. 'is for you to leave Yugi Mutou alone. He does not need you, anymore.' Her startled blue eyes widened at his words, she squirmed under his gaze and tried to get away, but he took a step closer, so she was unable to move. She started to wonder if Yugi could hear this conversation, had he not heard this man walk in?

'I will _not _leave him alone. He's my best friend and I care too much about him to let him go. I don't care about you, I care about _him_,' Anzu said, pressing her lips together. She was on the edge of crying, she was shaking so badly that she was surprised the wall did not move along with her. The stranger smirked, leaning forward until his breath caressed her skin, his lips lingered in front of hers and she suddenly felt weak as the stranger drew a sharp breath, it was as if he was sucking the life out of her.

'You do not want me as your enemy, Anzu Mazaki.' Her ears perked at her full name, alarming bells rung in her head, she wanted to get away, kick this guy, throw something at him to knock him out, anything to get away, but she was frozen on the spot. She felt so cold and so weak that she could barely breathe. His deep voice sent shivers down her spine. 'If you do what I want, I will leave you alone, I will not cheat, I always play fair and square.' He drew another sharp breath, their lips were so close that she could almost feel the fangs poking her flesh.

'…Cheat?' Anzu whispered breathlessly.

'I only want one thing and you are not going to take that away from me.' She looked down and resisted the urge to scream again, she was surrounded by dark purple smoke, it teasingly curled itself around her slim legs, trapping her. 'You only want the best for your best friend, correct?' She nodded. 'Then leave him to me. Leave this hospital and do not come back to visit him. And to make sure you will not tell anyone about this…' he lowered his hand and placed it over her mouth, she squirmed, but he wrapped his other hand around his throat, immobilizing her. The stranger said something she did not understand and that is when the pain began. She desperately tried to scream for help, her lips tightened as if they were being pulled close by a zipper, it hurt. He chuckled softly and let her go, she fell to the ground with a loud _thud _and he disappeared.

'Anzu? Anzu!' Yugi was desperately shaking her shoulders, she had been in the bathroom for more than ten minutes and he had heard absolutely nothing except for that loud thud. And now he felt that Anzu was lying on the ground, on her stomach, he had to turn her head to the side to make sure she would get some air. He felt around for some kind of wounds, but only felt her clothes, not any gaps or worse.

Then, he heard a small moan. A smile spread across his face and he crawled backwards so Anzu could get up. Jou and one of the nurses were in the bathroom, too, Yugi had almost bumped into Jou's lower leg. A new bandage was wrapped around his throbbing hand, he could barely move it, because the nurse had tied a real tight knot around it.

'Let me check her over,' the nurse said as she walked past Yugi. He felt the small wind and strong scent of a good smelling perfume swirled around his head, it reminded of something.

The heels of the nurse's shoes ticked against the tiles and they stopped to bend down, they did not hear any sounds for the next couple of seconds. Warm fingers gently gripped Yugi's shoulder and squeezed it, he placed his hand over Jounouchi's, enjoying the simple gesture. 'She must've tripped; she's okay, I don't see any injuries. Though I must say her lower back looks a bit bruised.'

'What could have happened?' Yugi asked after Jou helped him to his feet.

'Anything could have happened,' the nurse said calmly, the small clicking of a flashlight echoed softly through the walls of the bathroom. 'Her pupils are responding, that's good, it means she didn't hit her head. She should be fine after she wakes up. Yugi, you should get back to bed, you still needs some rest. Don't worry, after tomorrow you are free to go home.' With a small hum, Yugi carefully walked out of the bathroom and walked back to his bed, taking a seat on it. He had a bad feeling about Anzu, she had always been a strong person, it was hard to scare her, she was always so… down to earth.

'Yugi?' Jou had taken a seat next to him and rubbed his arm soothingly, sliding his hands down until it reached his hand so he could intertwine their fingers. 'She'll be all right. I think she has to get used to the fact that you're in the hospital. A lot of people can't even handle the smell of hospitals, it makes them sick.' Yugi could only pay attention to his own thoughts, he was so worried about Anzu that he had only heard half of what Jou had said. He could not stand the thought of losing another person in his life.

'Oh, good, you're awake, maybe you should lie down for a few minutes to make sure—Hey, where are you going?' Yugi jumped off the bed when the loud _bang _of a door rang through the room and hasty footsteps of Anzu's shoes dying down.

'Anzu?' Jou brushed past him and he could only stand there, his hand was lingering in the air, not sure if he had to ran after her or let it be. Maybe she could not stand hospitals after all and he should not worry about it, his paranoid mind had always been one of his biggest enemies. He was alone in the room, the nurse and Jou had run after Anzu, he had the feeling that it would be pointless to chase Anzu, too, he would only bump into walls and hurt himself on the way. He was not going to be able to find her, anyway. He silently hoped she would come back another day to visit him again and forget about the whole incident he could not even remember himself.

Nobody was supposed to know that someone he did not even know was chasing him. No one. Not even Atemu.

* * *

The night after that, Yugi was packing away his things, carefully feeling around for the clothes he had brought with him to put in his bag. He had not heard anything from Anzu, nor from Jou, he could imagine that school was very tiring and that they needed to do their homework or prepare for an upcoming test. He had learned that the nurses were constantly in his room to check up on him, he was starting to get the feeling that he was a special case, and yet, he was also questioning that silly idea. What could be so special about that eye operation?

Even though it was a childish thing to do in his eyes, he reached for his bandage and touched his eyes through the soft fabric, the very top of his lids were still very fragile and a bit swollen. Letting his fingers slide down his face, Yugi slowly turned around when there was a gentle knock on his door.

'Come in,' he commanded quietly. It took a while before the person on the other side of the room finally did come in, the steps were slow and careful, as if something was holding them back. 'Everything all right?' His eyebrows furrowed under the bandage, he felt the bandage moving along with his skin, it felt weird.

'Yes, I'm fine. Could you move a little to the left?' It was Atemu. Rather confused, Yugi took a step towards the said direction, he always remembered what left and right was because he himself was right-handed. There was a soft _thud, _it sounded like something had been dropped onto his bed. 'You told me you loved playing piano, yes?'

If he could blink, then he would have blinked at least twice, he hadn't touched his piano in _months. _Though, he did remember telling Atemu that playing the piano was one of his hobbies and that he never found a decent teacher. He gave a quick nod and felt around for the bed so he could sit on it, letting his hands wander around until he felt a cold surface. It was a keyboard.

'To tell you the truth, I've been playing myself ever since I was little. And I thought that, since you've never had a real teacher before, I could teach you some things. I brought my keyboard so you could show me how good you are, I'd like to hear you play. I think it's very impressive that a blind person can do that.'

A warm feeling made its way over Yugi's body, it was as if he was glowing on the spot, Atemu's voice was very close and it made him feel uncomfortable. Not trusting his voice, he nodded again and reached for the keys. If he was going to be honest with himself, he had to admit that he had no idea where to begin, he could not even remember the name of the keys. Everything was a big blur.

'Here, let me help you,' Atemu said softly. Suddenly, a larger hand was placed over his and guided him to a key, gently pressing his index finger down so he heard the small sound of that key. 'This is a C. And this…' he pulled up his other hand, too and placed it on the other side of the keyboard. 'is the other C. Now that you know that, it should be easier. Show me what you got.' The warmth of Atemu's hands was driving him crazy. For many weeks, he had only experienced cold touches, so cold that it had made him shiver almost every time. The soft skin that was resting upon his was pleasant and caused the corners of his lips to move upwards. Even through the bandage, the warmth radiated like a powerful source, it was almost unnatural.

Atemu lifted up his hands so Yugi was free to play, but not before patting his hands, a simple gesture to wish him luck.

And so, Yugi played. One of the melodies he had heard his mother play several years ago when she still had the energy to play. He remembered sitting next to her one time, savoring all the notes she played, every sound that erupted from the keys, the laugh that left her mouth as a sign of happiness. He reached a certain part of the song and heard her laugh in his head, the whole scenario was repeating itself, he forgot his surroundings, even Atemu, who was watching him intensely. His fingers were practically gliding over the keys, he was absolutely sure there was not a single mistake, everything was natural, the way his wrist made swift movements to reach the other keys and the way the tips of his fingers lingered in certain places to intensify the sound.

When he was done, he let his hands rest on the keys for several moments before he finally lifted them up. He had to admit that he was not used to the sound of a keyboard; it was definitely different.

'That was one of my mother's favorite songs,' he whispered. 'I didn't change one note. It was her song, I wouldn't dare to make my own version of it. It's perfect the way it is now.' Yugi was startled to hear Atemu clapping, very softly, it sounded like he only used his fingers to clap. He scratched his cheek with his finger, lowering his head in embarrassment so his face would be hidden by his bangs.

'That was absolutely beautiful, Yugi. You have something very special, you have the ability to lose yourself in a song and not a lot of people can do that,' Atemu said proudly. Yugi was about to answer, but he was interrupted by yet another knock on his door. This knock was very soft, it sounded more like a nervous knock than a normal knock. It made him feel quite nervous himself, but he answered nonetheless.

'Yes?' The door opened very slowly, causing the hinges to squeak to the point where Yugi scrunched up his nose at the unpleasant noise. The soft clicks of high heels reached his ears, it was a nurse.

'It's Shizuka, Yugi. And, ah, Atemu I see you're here, too. Am I interrupting an important conversation?' It was the same nurse who wrapped a new bandage around his hand and that helped Anzu a few hours ago. She was one of the nice nurses in this hospital, one of the few that did not intimidate him with long hard words. Atemu chuckled in response, apparently this was not a very important thing to him.

'I stop working after ten, Shizuka. Yugi and I were playing around with this old keyboard that I still have. He's very talented, you know,' he said casually. However, Shizuka did not pay further attention to the subject, she remained silent and walked up to Yugi. He stayed still, he was probably looking at her stomach instead of her face, he had the odd feeling that something was wrong. Shizuka was usually very nice, she always visited his room every now and then to check up on him and talk to him, since she could imagine how boring it would be to lie in bed all day.

'Yugi, I'm going to have to ask you some questions about the wounds on your hand,' she said in a dangerous low voice. A cold feeling wrapped itself around his neck and teasingly crept down his spine, causing him to shiver in response. She took a deep breath and continued, 'You see, you told nurse Robinson that your cat scratched you. Right?'

Yugi buried his fingers in the sheets of his bed, he did not like where this was going. 'Yes, I squeezed her tail and she scratched me. I probably startled her.'

'Well, I had to change the bandage today and I noticed something,' Shizuka urged. Then, he heard her shift and he felt a hand on his knee. 'Cat scratches are usually very thin and straight.' Her hand wandered up to his arm so she could take hold of his hand, stroking the bandage softly with one of her fingers. 'Your scratches look too fresh to be at least a week old and they are too big to be identified as cat scratches.'

He remained silent, he was not quite sure if she had finished or that she was still not telling him something. It couldn't not be true, he remembered Maria scratching him before she jumped out of his arms.

'I need you to be completely honest with me. Are you being abused or did you do this to yourself?'

His vision seemed to darken, he felt lightheaded and he would have lost his balance if Atemu had not grabbed his arms to steady him. Jack would never do that to him and Maria… Maria had never scratched him before, not even when he had accidentally hit her with the back of his hand when he was little.

His mind wandered back to that day, he did scratch himself back in the restaurant and, when he thought about it, he could not remember that he had truly squeezed Maria's tail; his fingers had curled up, but did he truly squeeze her? She just suddenly jumped out of his arms, he had assumed it was her, because that was the most logical solution. He remember laying a paper towel on the wound with his uninjured hand, but even before the paper towel had gone wet, his fingers had already been covered in blood.

'I…'

_'Well, apparently they're healing. You're already scratching.' _Yugi held his head, burying his nails in his scalp. Jou's words echoed through his mind, over and over again until he could not take it anymore, he was shaking like a scared puppy and he shook his head back and forth. He could not have done this to himself, he would never hurt himself over and over again.

'…' It all made sense. The way his wounds always started bleeding again, the nurses coming in his room to check on him every hour. Probably to make sure he was not hurting himself. 'No…'

'Yugi?' Shizuka tried gently.

'I'm not crazy!'

She rose to her feet, her heels clicked on the tiles and she let out a soft sigh. 'I know enough. Thank you.' She left the room without another word, her long hair brushed over Yugi's bare arms, it was soft and he smelled the same perfume he had smelled earlier that day. A sweet and innocent fragrance.

'I'm not crazy.' Yugi was rocking back and forth on the bed, his hands still nailed to his scalp, tears were pricking in the back of his eyes, threatening to soak the bandage. 'I'm not—' The words died in his throat when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He had completely forgotten about Atemu. He turned his head, letting his hands slide down his face, feeling his sharp nails scraping over his cheeks. '… Am I?'

A soft chuckle was his response and the hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Unknown to Yugi, Atemu's blood red eyes darted to his injured hand, a small smirk forming upon his lips. 'Of course you're not crazy, Yugi.'

* * *

**Author's note: **For the longest time, I had this scene in my head of Atemu teaching Yugi how to play. Honestly. And that was, what, three years ago? Haha… Oh, I'm so late.

If you're thinking: "What the hell did you do to Yugi at the beginning of the chapter, woman? That is not normal!" This is perfectly normal. I'm sure you've seen at least one video on YouTube of someone who was under anesthesia and I've also seen it happen in real life.

Anyway, now that I've made that clear, I can officially ask you guys to review this somewhat creepy chapter, yes~? :3


	9. A Curse

**Author's note: **Rating has gone up. And I have a very good reason for that. I suggest you don't read this story if you're younger than 16, some parts are hard to understand. This is meant to be a psychological thriller, after all.

It's been a while. I apologize in advance. *bows* But here's the next chapter, and I wanted to warn you, this chapter contains heavy scenes. Please be warned.

* * *

So this is what it felt like. Everything she had ever felt, was gone. Her body was slowly running out of blood, the wound was too large and too deep for anyone to keep it from bleeding.

Her mouth was still slightly open, she had never closed it after that scream that had left her a couple of minutes ago, her eyes had lost their light, they looked like the eyes of a lifeless doll. Still and dark.

'I'm… sorry.'

A cold feeling brushed over her like a small blanket, her vision was blurred and dark, but she could still make out a familiar pair of blood red eyes. A small breath left her lips, she had wanted to gasp and she could not even do it. It was the same person she had seen in the hospital several days ago, the same person who had told her to stay away from her best friend. The man bent one of his knees so he could kneel down next to her, she could only cough in response. Her body was completely numb, it was shaking on its own, desperately trying to create warmth without the needed blood.

'Your time has come, Anzu Mazaki.' He leaned forward and, almost gently, cupped her face in his cold hands. The shaky breaths that left her lips were slowly coming to an end, he breathed in her last bit of energy and captured her warm lips.

When he pulled back, their eyes met, confused blue eyes stared at him, one lone tear ran down her pale cheek. He carefully lifted her up in his arms and raised one of his hands; a pure white light appeared in front of him, brightening up the dark night that had fallen. He dropped his hand again so he could hold her with it, the portal had appeared.

The man grasped her firmly when she tried to escape from his grip. 'Do not fight it.' She looked up at him and stopped struggling, she could only wait as he carried her to the bright portal, as if she knew what was going to happen.

She looked fearful, she felt herself growing weaker again, silent tears trickled down her flushed cheeks and she let out a small sob when he stepped through the portal. The sob died down in her throat, her heart stopped beating and her arms fell, hanging limply across his legs. Her head lolled to one side, resting on his cold chest, her eyes glistening with her last few tears. He looked over his shoulder at her body lying on the ground, it had started to lose its color already. The portal disappeared and took the two with it.

A couple of feet away, Jounouchi had started to wake up. His eyes shot open and he ran towards his friend, almost tripping over his own feet. He knelt down and placed two fingers in her neck while running his fingers through her cold, wet hair. Tears started leaking out of his eyes, he pulled his hand back, his face was still, and so were his eyes. He shakily reached for her eyes and closed them with the tips of his fingers, he clenched his fists, his own nails digging into his skin. He could not hold it back any longer, he reached for his head and let his mouth drop.

'_ANZUUUU!_' The ear-ripping scream echoed through the entire neighborhood, Jounouchi let himself collapse on top of his best friend's body, the tears streaming down his cheeks like small waterfalls. His breathing was far out of control, the only small sounds that he could make, were muffled sobs and pleas. He clutched her clothes, warm tears wetting her cold naked skin, people were starting to gather around him, muttering things to themselves and asking what was going on.

Jounouchi did not care, he could not even hear them, all he could do was sit there and hold onto her until she would wake up, but he knew that was not going to happen.

Anzu Mazaki was dead.

* * *

The beige walls of his office darkened as the sun had begun to sink. He had taken a seat in his chair and was now cleaning his glasses with his white blouse, they had become dirty after an entire of waiting. With a small sigh, he put them back on and sorted out the notes on his messy desk. Notes he had taken during his other sessions with his _patients. _With a small shake of his head, he put the glasses back on, narrowing his eyes as they tried to adjust to the said glasses.

The door opened with a light swing and he turned around his chair, his glasses almost slipping off his nose. Yugi entered quietly and felt around to close the door behind him. He had never been here before, that was quite obvious, because he hesitantly walked around, rather unsure of where to go.

'Good day, Yugi,' he said calmly. He stood up and made his way over to the younger one, placing a comforting hand on his lower back to lead him to his desk where a second chair was waiting for him. 'Glad you could come. How was your day?'

The fake smile on Yugi's face was almost satisfying, he could almost taste the lovely flavor of his own smile. He guided him to the chair and took a seat in his own chair, right in front of Yugi, folding his hands and resting his chin on top of them.

'Fine,' was the quiet reply. The other leaned forward, a small smile appearing on his full lips. However, Yugi did not move. He was looking past his crimson eyes, it looked like he was staring at the closet in the corner of the room behind him. The bandages around his eyes were almost frightening him, it looked… wrong. He could not wait for Yugi to remove them, he was going to take them off the day after tomorrow.

'Really, now?' He let a bit of playfulness slip into his voice, a small smile tucked at the corner of Yugi's lips. It was way too easy to play this game. Yugi's shoulders slumped and he leaned into the back of his chair, pulling away from his _psychologist. _

'I think there's something wrong with Anzu,' Yugi mumbled in a thick voice. He looked up, and this time, he was sure that if the bandages had not been there, that their eyes would have met. But only one pair would have been able to see the other. Raising his neck, the psychologist narrowed his eyes. 'Ever since she suddenly left the hospital, she has been ignoring me. Every time I tried to talk to her, she would walk away or mumble a silly excuse, so she didn't have to face me. And Jounouchi told me she's been acting like that towards him, too.'

He could not bite back the smirk that his lips were turning into. The girl had actually been smart. Smart and stupid at the same time. He could not believe that he had barely done anything to get her out of the picture, and that it had worked. Anzu Mazaki, the name was on his list, all he had to do was wait for the right moment.

'Do you have any idea why she has been acting like this? You _are _best friends, after all. You should know her better than anyone else.' Yugi straightened up, a determined look on his face, his lips twisted around in an effort to find the right words to say. He waited for an answer while he stared at the young boy in front of him.

'… I…' The psychologist leaned back into his chair, his eyes glistened behind his glasses and he clicked is tongue. He was growing impatient, it was time to step it up. They had had about six sessions, he knew Yugi would not go against him, whatever he was going to say.

'Or maybe you do not know her, at all,' he said neutrally. At this point, Yugi had scrunched up his face as far as he could with those bandages wrapped around it, it was clear that he did not believe that statement. 'Hear me out. I think that Anzu may have lost her patience with you. Before you start assuming things, you should know that I am completely neutral, I do not judge anyone based on their actions. But, I do know that your friend, Jounouchi, has had to spend a lot of time with you in his life, because of your problem.'

Yugi's face was now as pale as the notes on his desk. A trickle of sweat trickled down the side of his face, down to his neck and shirt. His lips shivered, they looked dry and Atemu had to keep himself from smirking again.

'What if she had feelings for Jounouchi and could not spend any time with him? Or maybe she had feelings for _you_.' He was the only one who knew the true answer, Anzu did have feelings for the boy in front of him. Which was why he had needed her out of the picture. Yugi was shaking in the chair, and the chair was shaking along with him, the screeching of the wheels almost made him snarl in annoyance, but he had to keep this up. 'I am only thinking out loud, Yugi. I am not saying that this is the truth.'

Yugi was gaping at him like a fish on dry land. His tongue kept darting out of his mouth to moisten his dry lips and Atemu could see the frown behind the bandages.

'Then why would she ignore me? Ignore both of us?' he whispered shakily.

'It is not that hard to understand someone else's feelings. If she did have feelings for one of you, then I do not blame her for avoiding you. You may have hurt her indirectly by undergoing this surgery, you did not tell her about it and you needed a lot of attention afterwards. Maybe she gave up.'

Yugi had flinched and was now breathing heavily through his mouth. Atemu closed his eyes, resting the side of his index finger on his lower lip, slowly dragging down the fragile skin by pulling his finger down.

Friends and family were definitely Yugi's weaker points. It was easy to drag him down with such simple words, he did not even have to put a lot of energy in it.

'… I bought her a necklace,' Yugi murmured.

'Oh?'

'I remember that she's always wanted this one necklace ever since she was little. Her parents are not the wealthiest people around, so they promised her they would save half of heir salary until she would turn eighteen. The necklace cost me 85,000 yen.'

Even Atemu's eyes widened at this point. Yugi had spent a lot of money on this girl. And then his eyes narrowed again, she had to be very important to him in order for him to do this.

'I left it in the box and put it in her schoolbag two days ago. And yet,' Yugi lowered his head, a sigh escaping his lips. 'nothing's changed. She still won't talk to me.' Atemu opened his mouth to respond, but his ears suddenly perked and his senses started prickling. Alarming bells rang in his head and he quietly looked over his shoulder, out of the window, down at the street where two figures were yelling at each other. One of them had shoulder length brown hair and the other short blond hair.

He recognized them, Jounouchi and Anzu were fighting over something and when he squinted, he saw a sparkling necklace around Anzu's slim neck. Narrowing his eyes to small slits, he rose from his chair and leaned over the window. The snow on the ground fluttered around in the wind. It had stopped snowing for a while and the little light that was left of the sun brightened up the streets. If he listened closely, he could make out their words.

'-could you do that to him!? He spent a fortune on that necklace!'

'It's not my fault!'

'You could have at least thanked him for it!'

'You have no idea what's going on in my life!'

He turned back to Yugi, who was waiting patiently for his psychologist to answer him. He licked his own lips slowly, his tongue stopped when he felt one of his pointy fangs poking softly at the muscle. Anzu was not as smart as he thought she was. He wanted to hear more of this conversation, he turned back to Yugi and raised his hand.

Muttering a few words under his breath, he flicked his wrist and Yugi's head fell on his shoulder, out cold. He swung his bangs out of his face, his eyes darkened up to the point where they looked like small pools of old dried blood and his glasses disappeared. He opened the window with another flick of his wrist leaned over it.

Tears were streaming down Anzu's face as she was screaming at the top of her lungs at Jounouchi.

'Just stop already, I already told you that it wasn't my fault!'

'I will stop if you tell what the hell's been going on with you lately.' Jounouchi had grown calm, he was holding Anuz's shoulders, staring at her face. They were silent, Anzu's tears had stopped trickling down her cheeks and he saw her chest rapidly moving up and down.

'Someone's after Yugi…'

There was a low growl in the back of his throat. He looked around and spotted a few men passing by, chatting with each other and minding their own business. They looked no older than twenty, pretty muscular and had that one look in their eyes Atemu was looking for. Anzu had earned herself a higher spot on the list.

_Flex. _

The men looked up at Anzu, lust appearing in their cold, dark eyes. Anzu was too busy talking to Jounouchi to even notice the looks she was receiving. It was getting darker and darker, the streetlights flickered on and Atemu's eyes were locked on the teenage girl. The men had stopped walking, they were muttering things to each other and pointing at her.

A small list appeared in Atemu's hands, it looked like an ancient list, a very neat handwriting showed a lot of different names.

_Flex._

The name on the top of the list faded away and made way for another name, the black curly letters writing themselves. He did not need to know more than that, the list disappeared and he straightened up, disappearing from the office.

* * *

'Anzu!'

The moment Anzu stopped walking, she regretted it. Her booted legs were starting to get cold already, the snow was slowly leaking into the rather cheap fabric of her shoes, through her socks and finally, reaching her already shivering skin. She was hugging herself to keep her body warm, her breaths came out as small clouds that drifted through the air for a while before dissolving again.

She turned around, her eyes widened to the point where they almost started watering. She had not recognized the voice at first for it was a lot raspier and harder to identify it as the voice of her best friend, Jounouchi. Her chapped lips hurt, they were so dry that she could barely move them around, she could not voice that she did not want to talk to him.

Jounouchi was running towards her at a pretty fast pace, she was starting to find it suspicious, it was as if he wanted to make sure he would reach her before she could run away from him. Anzu had to admit that she had been acting like a ghost around him, so she could not really blame him.

'Jounouchi…' her raspy voice cracked out. The breath that she inhaled went cold and she shivered at the icy touch of air. He stopped in front of her, his short pants dissolving into the dark air. His naturally soft brown eyes were as hard as the ice on the pavement, she did not need to know more than that. He was angry. 'I—'

'I'm surprised you stopped walking. I thought you were going to ignore me just like you've been doing for the past week.' The words gnawed at her heart like a horrible creature would do, it almost hurt to think about it. She could not deny it, not even if she wanted to, he was right. Her blue eyes had softened, she moved her hands around as if she wanted to use them instead of words, but it was useless.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered quietly. Her voice was so soft that she could barely hear herself. Jounouchi folded his arms over his chest, shaking his head. Saying sorry was never enough, it did not even conceal the wounds she knew she had created. There was too much damage to fix with only two words.

She was trying so hard to find the right words to say, that she barely noticed Jounouchi's eyes falling on the necklace she was wearing. Her eyes widened and she quickly placed her hand on it to hide it from view. Unfortunately, her friend had already seen it, his eyes were even colder than the snow lying on the pavement.

'What is that around your neck?'

The words were so simple, and yet, they stabbed her like fire lit arrows. She felt light-headed for a couple of seconds, she gripped the hard edges of the necklace and breathed out a small breath. She had to pull herself together to be able to have this conversation with Jounouchi. The memories of the fight she had had with her mother were still freshly burning in her mind, like open wounds.

'A necklace my mom bought me.' Jounouchi's eyes widened, he took a step forward, unfolding his arms.

'Your… _mom_ bought that?'

A nod.

'What happened to the necklace Yugi bought for you? It would be truly weird if your mom bought a necklace that looks almost exactly like his. Or was it just coincidence?' Anzu looked down at the necklace, sighing through her red nose. How was she supposed to tell Jounouchi about it?

She could not tell him how happy she had been when she had seen the necklace and how devastated she was that her mother had thrown it in the trashcan in front of her eyes. Her mother had mentioned something about a curse Yugi was carrying with him, of course she did not want to die, but to blame Yugi for something like that was inhuman.

'Jounouchi… My mom threw it away. I can't wear that necklace—'

Something snapped at that point, Jounouchi was so close to her face that it scared her, his eyes burned with fury, and his eyebrows hung down in a huge frown.

'How could you do that to him?! He spent a fortune on that necklace!' Anzu felt tears welling up in her eyes. She knew how expensive that necklace must have been, that is why her parents still had not bought it, that necklace was worth more than an engagement ring. She had wanted to keep it, but she had been too late to stop her mother.

'It's not my fault!'

Jounouchi stared at her, dumbfounded. She knew it sounded rather childish to defend herself in this situation, but what she said was the truth. Her friend shook his head, shutting his eyes.

'You could have at least thanked him for it!' She bit her lip, burying her front teeth into the soft flesh, never had she not thought about that, she had wanted to thank Yugi, hug him and never let go. She had wanted that necklace for so long, she actually could not believe he had bought it for her, she could not believe she… meant so much to him.

'You have no idea what's going on in my life!'

Jounouchi had no idea what that man had said to her in the bathroom. It was the man who was after Yugi, who had told her to stay away from him and she had secretly hoped it would have helped Yugi. A voice in the back of her head said she was only fooling herself. Jounouchi opened his mouth to protest, but she interrupted him.

'Just stop already, I already told you that it wasn't my fault!'

'I will stop if you tell what the hell's been going on with you lately.' Her breathing was out of control, her chest heaved up and down, desperately trying to get some air. Jounouchi had placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down, he looked at her, his eyes gentle, begging her to talk to him. She took a deep breath to let her tears stop from streaming rapidly down her flushed cheeks and let the words slip out.

'Someone's after Yugi.' Jounouchi's jaw dropped and he tightened his grip on her joints, squeezing painfully. She winced but did not walk away. He stared at her, demanding an explanation and she started him telling everything that had happened that day in the hospital. The more she told him, the more pain she felt jolting through her shoulders, Jounouchi was slowly losing it.

It was getting darker, it became harder to focus on Jounouchi's voice, so she kept her head low, looking at the snow on the ground instead. When she was done, three grown men walked over to them, grins on their faces. She nudged Jounouchi and he turned around to face them. However, they did not pay any attention to him, their eyes were on Anzu's body.

'Good evening,' the one in the middle, probably the leader, said, the permanent grin never leaving his face. Anzu lifted her arm up to her chest, her shaking fingers nervously tucking at her necklace. If they wanted the necklace, then they could have it, it only brought back nasty memories anyway.

'Can I help you?' she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Jounouchi shoved her behind his body, holding his arm out protectively.

'What do you three want?' he growled. They pretended to be offended, the one on the right looked at his friends with his big brown eyes and then he smirked maniacally. Before Jounouchi could even move an inch, the three of them lunged forward and knocked him to the ground, kicking him in the gut. Anzu wanted to scream, but the leader grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth with his hand.

Jounouchi was now unconscious, there was blood coming out of his nose and his breathing sounded raspy. Anzu was desperately struggling against the strong hands that were now traveling down her body, towards her thighs.

The man hushed her, and she cried when he felt his hand slipping down her pants. The other two men walked over to her, keeping her from struggling and helping their leader. Fresh tears leaked out of her eyes and she looked up at the sky, praying that someone would look out of their window, or walk by, anything, but there was something wrong with the streetlights, the lights were very weak, she could barely make out their faces, it was probably impossible for someone else to see what was happening to her.

One of them, she had not seen which one, had gagged her with his hat, so she was unable to make any loud noises. The hat was covered in cold snow, her teeth clattered against the soft texture, it made her almost unable to breathe properly. Muffled screams filled the cold, tense air, her legs were cold and numb now, warm blood was trickling down her thighs. She had felt something rip inside her a few minutes ago, it was a burning pain, she felt it every time, over and over again, and she kept pleading through the hat. Her eyes were focused on the sky, in a silent attempt to block everything out, but it was useless, she could feel everything and it hurt.

And then she screamed loudly, the loudest scream that had ever left her mouth, her eyes flew open and her body arched up. The three men laughed hysterically before running away. The third one shoved the bloody blade under his jacket to hide it and followed his friends out of the street.

Her mother's voice echoed softly in the cold wind.

'_I don't want you to be cursed. That boy carries a curse with him and he just passed it on to you by giving you this necklace. Throw it away, I'll buy you a new one. I'll buy you anything, just get rid of it._'

A curse… Blood slowly ran down her bare stomach, it looked black in the dark night, like a monster slowly crawling over her body. Had her mother been right? Maybe she was truly cursed, death was something one could not play games with and she had just looked it in the eye.

Anzu looked over at Jounouchi, who was still unconscious, she saw his chest rising up and down, a content smile brightened up her pale and sweaty face, at least he was all right.

Cold red eyes had been watching everything around the corner and he took a step forward, watching the crimson liquid dripping onto the snow covered ground.

* * *

**Author's note: **Some of you are maybe wondering what I did to the order of the scenes, this chapter is going backwards, but I did that on purpose to give it a certain twist.

Maybe some of you saw this coming, some of you maybe didn't. I felt truly sorry for doing that to her, but it's all part of the storyline. I've never done this to a character before, and I don't think I'll ever do it again. So… Nothing to worry about.

Please review. :3


	10. Dreams and Reality

**Author's note: **Hi there. I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner. A lot has happened lately, things that I can't easily forget. I've made several rants on my blog already, but since I know not everyone is following me, I'll just say it here. But the funny thing is, the darker my life, the easier it is to write this fic.

But the good news is, I've finished the two most important essays of the year, which means that I have a lot more free time now~~. Oh, and I'm quite sure that most of you will be satisfied with this chapter.

... Sort of.

* * *

_He was everywhere. Following her, haunting her and teasing her with his dangerous smirk that sent shivers down her spine. Every time she would turn around the corner, he would be there, hiding in the shadows and his unusual eyes shining like a flashlight in the dark. Even his handsome features were not enough to calm her down, his eyes always managed to make her want to shriek. And as time went by, she noticed that she was slowly losing her grip on reality. _

_She had reached out for him several times and had felt nothing but the cold winter air, other times he would snatch her wrist and pull her towards him. His hands would wander over her body, sometimes even under her clothes, while his eyes were always fixed on her. His touch was always colder than the snow outside, colder than anything she had ever felt. _

_Yugi had tried to talk to her many times, he would stay behind in class, asking her if he could talk to her. And every time he did, she would see those blood colored eyes in the corner, watching her, warning her and telling her to leave. Most of the time she would come up with an excuse, but sometimes she was so scared that she left without another word. She knew she was hurting Yugi by doing this, even under those bandages she could see his face dropping. _

_Jounouchi was giving her meaningful looks during class, he would often narrow his eyes at her and shake his head with his hands high up in the air. She would look away, avoiding his gaze the best she could; she knew she would not be able to keep everything bottled up inside in her if she would start talking to him. She could not even tell him about it, she definitely did not want to experience that same pain the man had caused her when she tried the first time. _

_One day, she had left her schoolbag in the classroom because she had gone to the bathroom a couple of minutes before the bell would ring. He would look at her through the mirror, touch her, whisper things in her ear, even squeeze the delicate skin between his sharp teeth, causing a small wound to appear in her neck. She quickly ran out of the bathroom, without drying off her hands, back to the classroom. On her way, she almost bumped into Yugi who walked out of the classroom with a bowed head, obviously upset. Words had almost made their way out of her throat, but a hand on her lips stopped her. _

_'Shh. Let him be,' a voice whispered in her ear. 'Now, get.' A cold hand teasingly crept down her shoulder blade, towards her lower back where it gave her a small push towards the classroom. Her bag lay there, waiting for her to pick it up, which she did. She slowly walked out of the classroom, clutching the bag between her body and arms, her eyes darted around the deserted hallway, waiting for him to jump her again, pin her to the wall and keep her there until she would start crying and begging him to let go of her, even though he was practically not doing anything to her. _

_Home was the only place where she felt safe, her mother was there, taking care of her and she still loved her no matter what. The minute she came home, her mom greeted her from the kitchen by waving a large spoon around in the air. _

_'Welcome home, Anzu! How was your day?' The exact same question she would receive everyday and she would always give her mother the same answer, she did not suspect anything, anyway. Her mother, Aimi, a very charming woman that almost looked like an older version of Anzu was smiling at her, showing her even white teeth. She was wearing a blue apron to make sure her clothes would not get dirty and her short brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. _

_'Great, mom.' She walked over to the kitchen, carrying her bag over her shoulder and taking a seat at the dining table. She would always do her homework while her mother was cooking, the lovely aroma of the different spices and dishes was very calming, and it made her forget everything else that was happening around her. Just when she was about to get her books out of her bag, a small white box rolled out. Blinking, she held her bag upside down, expecting a note to fall out that came along with the box, but nothing else was there. _

_She reached for the box, carefully turning it around in her hands; she studied and touched it carefully as if it was a delicate flower. In one of the corners, she saw a black curly handwriting and as she read the words, her eyes widened. Quickly opening the box, she gasped in surprise. _

_A beautiful silver necklace lay between the small white cushions, adorned with blue stones and colorless diamonds. It was the necklace she had wanted since she was a child. There was only one problem: it was the most expensive necklace of its brand, not affordable for most people in her neighborhood, which was why she had not been able to buy it. It shimmered brightly in the kitchen light, begging her to touch it and put it around her neck. She reached for it with trembling fingers, carefully wrapping her index and middle finger around it, lifting it up from the cushions. _

'_Where did you get that?' Her mother had walked over to her and was looking over her shoulder at the necklace with a small frown. 'Did you buy it without us, after all? Your 18__th__ birthday is in a few months, you know we would have gotten it for you.' _

_'Someone must have put it in my bag, I didn't buy it.' _

_'A secret admirer, maybe?' _

_'I honestly have no idea.' She was about to put the necklace around her neck when her mother's hands stopped her. Cold green eyes looked down at her, they had narrowed to slits, it was scaring her. 'Mom…?' _

_'Was it Yugi?' _

_It was not impossible. Yugi was not one of the wealthiest people she knew, so why would he give her this necklace? Especially after everything she had done to him, he would probably be the last person to give her this piece of jewelry. _

_And she always carried her bag with her, even to the bathroom, the cafeteria, to PE, everywhere… Except for today where she had left her bag in the classroom because it obviously would have been weird if she had taken her bag to the bathroom during class. And Yugi was the last one to walk out of the classroom, he had not even looked at her. That, or he had pretended not to notice her. _

_But he was the only one who knew that she had always wanted this necklace, not even Jounouchi knew about it. It had to be him. But why would Yugi give her this necklace now? _

_'I think so. He's the only one who knows I wanted this necklace. Wow… I can't believe he bought it, he must have used all his savings for this.' Before she could say anything else, her mother ripped the necklace out of her hands, holding it between her index finger and her thumb and at least an arm length away from her face. _

_'I don't want you to be cursed. That boy carries a curse with him and he just passed it on to you by giving you this necklace. Throw it away, I'll buy you a new one. I'll buy you anything, just get rid of it.' Anzu's eyes were twice their size, she could not believe those words had come out of her mother's mouth. _

_'He's not cursed!' _

_'Wasn't he the one with the dead mother?' _

_A deafening silence followed, they merely looked at each other, Anzu's mouth hung open and her mother's lips were pressed together until they had formed a thin line. Tears had started to form in her eyes, her vision blurred and she bowed her head, gnawing at her bottom lip. _

_'…Yes. But that doesn't say anything. His mother had been sick for a very long time.' Her mother seemed to be ignoring her because she did not say anything. Instead, she walked away. Anzu quickly looked up to see her hand hovering over the trashcan, the necklace dangled dangerously above all the rotten food. 'Wait!'_

_Her mother looked at her, barking, 'I know what I'm doing! I'll buy you another one tomorrow. It's just a necklace, stop your whining.' And with that, she dropped the necklace in the trashcan, pulled the bag out, tied a knot around it and took it outside. Tears were now streaming freely down Anzu's cheeks, new ones formed in her eyes and they leaked out right away. Her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably and she dropped to her knees, onto the cold kitchen floor, where she covered her face and cried. _

_Unknown to her, a man stood in the corner of the room with a small note in his hand. The letters were written in a neat handwriting, Yugi's handwriting. Even thought he was blind, he could still write, and by the look of the neat handwriting, it was obvious that he had put a lot of work in it. He smirked and let fire appear in his hand; the note, along with the kind words, curled up and turned into ash._

* * *

A loud muffled scream reached Yugi's ears, yanking him out of his sudden sleep. He moaned softly when a sharp pain shot through his neck, he had been using his shoulder as a pillow, which had not been a very good idea. Rubbing his neck, he got up and felt around with his hands, feeling a wooden desk.

He was still in Atemu's office, he did not remember moving or falling asleep. He carefully moved around the desk, letting his nails scrape over the smooth surface of the sanded wood. Just when he was about to open his mouth to call for Atemu, he heard that cold voice again,

_'Your time has come, Anzu Mazaki.' _His jaw dropped, he quickly tried to find his way out of the office, but he had only been there a few times, it was too early to know where the door was. Anzu could not be next, he could not lose her, too, he just… could not.

A shallow breath filled the air, it was as if someone was standing next to him and had gasped for air. Yugi tripped over something solid and crashed onto the floor, groaning loudly when his forehead hit the surface of the floor quite hard.

_'Do not fight it.'_

He rose to his feet again and felt around, this time he felt the cold surface of the window. Cold December air ghosted over his face, he wanted to call her name but his voice had disappeared. He was too scared to say anything, only shaky breaths could come out of his mouth.

Suddenly, he heard heavy boots running around and stopping again. He waited, moving his head around and gripping the edge of the window. He almost jumped out of his skin when a familiar voice screamed,

_'ANZUUUU!' _

This had to a dream. He tried to scream, but all he could do was breathe. His voice was nothing but a whisper in the cold wind, just like a nightmare where no one could hear you scream. He could hear distant people muttering to themselves and someone yelling that they had called an ambulance…

'Yugi!' Said person gritted his teeth, he was shaking from head to toe and trying not to control his shaking hands. Someone was gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up; well, he was still awake, he had just drifted off. 'The ceremony's over. You okay?' It was Jounouchi, he was standing right next to Yugi, holding him steadily. They were at Anzu's funeral, it had been two days since Anzu was brutally murdered right under Yugi's nose.

And Yugi could not help but blame himself, he was right there when it had happened, but somehow he had not been conscious. After Jounouchi had told him what happened, he did not react, not even one tear had fallen.

'Well, of course he's not. I think he's finally realized what he has done,' a voice spoke angrily. It was Anzu's mother, Aimi, Yugi heard her voice loud and clear which meant she was very close. 'Are you happy now? My own daughter, my _only _daughter, was raped by three men and murdered afterwards, left alone in the snow like some broken toy.'

'Hey! It's not his fault!' Jounouchi defended, squeezing Yugi's shoulder, which had grown numb to the touch already. 'It it's anyone's fault it's mine. I was right there, but I was too slow. They knocked me to the ground and I couldn't stop them, anymore.'

Aimi screeched something and Yugi stumbled back when she gave him a push. 'You had to give her that necklace. You're carrying that dreadful curse with you and it's affecting everyone around you. How can you even live with yourself?' Yugi felt lifeless, like a vegetable, he could not feel anything, no hunger, no thirst, no anger, no happiness. He could only breathe and stare at the dark insides of his eyes.

'Leave him be. You're upset, Miss Mazaki. You don't know what you're saying.'

'He is responsible for my daughter's death!'

'Oi, what's going on here?' A new voice cut in, Jack's voice. They started arguing right away and more people started meddling, begging them to be quiet. Jounouchi gently dragged Yugi away from the fight, put an arm around him and brought him to a quieter place. When they reached a bench, Yugi sat down and he felt Jounouchi sitting down next to him, still holding his shoulder with his arm.

Slowly but surely, Yugi leaned on his friend's shoulder, burying his face in the fabric of his suit. Jounouchi rubbed his arm soothingly, squeezing the skin reassuringly between his fingers.

'Hey, you don't believe her, do you, bud?' Yugi shrugged and sighed, he shook his head and covered his face. He felt the bandages, he was supposed to take them off today, but he was too scared to do so. The operation had probably not worked, anyway. The skin around his eyes was still very fragile, it hurt when he carefully pressed down, it was bruised and painful.

'Jounouchi?'

'Hm?'

'Can you take me to Atemu?' He was the only person that he wanted to talk to right now. Even though Jounouchi was sitting right next to him, he wanted to talk to someone who was calm and understanding. At least he would not rush Yugi to take the bandages off, Jounouchi would probably give him a little push and he was definitely not in the mood for that. They sat there in silence, as if Jounouchi had to process what Yugi had just asked him to do. Yugi had not wanted to hurt him, but no one could calm him down like Atemu could.

'Sure. Come on,' Jounouch said after a while, wrapping his long fingers around Yugi's upper arm and dragging him along. 'Where is his office?' He did not really know the way, so he told him the address, and while he did, he felt the bottled up feelings floating upwards until he could taste their sour taste on the tip of his tongue. He was talking so fast that Jounouchi gave him weird looks as if he was trying to tell him to slow down with just eye contact, unknown to Yugi.

Yugi did not slow down for one moment, he started rambling about all kinds of things, things he had never discussed before. He did not stop until Jounouchi covered his mouth with his hand, shushing him.

'Yugi, slow down. We're here. It wasn't that far away. Do you want me to come with you?' Yugi shook his head and quietly thanked him, letting his hand slide down Jounouchi's arm as a sign of gratitude. Without another word, Jounouchi walked away, Yugi was not sure if he had offended him, or that he was quietly mourning over Anzu.

He slowly took a step forward, holding out his hand, and just as he expected, he felt the familiar glass door and right next to it, the doorbell. His hand rimmed over the door until he could press his finger on the small button. A loud shriek of the bell rang through the house and the door opened after only a few seconds.

'Yugi? What a surprise. Come in.' The very moment Atemu's voice let his eardrums vibrate, his balloon of emotions snapped and everything started pouring out. Atemu did not say anything; he put his arm around Yugi's waist and pulled him close to him, hugging him. Yugi froze, Atemu had never hugged him before, not even when Yugi had told him about his dark past when he had first met him. His grip on Yugi's waist was strong, yet gentle and comforting. The warm hand rubbing his lower back caused Yugi's tears to lessen, he let his cheek rest on Atemu's shoulder, he could feel the wet bandages sticking to his skin like an annoying plaster.

He had not even noticed that Atemu had closed the door and had walked him to his room. This time, he did hear Atemu closing the door behind him, he had done it very slowly, the loud creaking of the door had almost had a calming effect on him. He took a deep breath and reached for his bandages, untying them and slowly pulling them away from his eyes. He circled his head with his arm until there was nothing left to remove, he crumbled up the bandages and shoved them in his pocket.

His eyes were still wet with his tears and the cold air made him shiver slightly. Atemu stayed quiet once again while Yugi was stroking his eye area, as if he had never felt it before. He kept his eyes closed, he did not want to open them, yet. He had not noticed that he was breathing rather heavily because of his runny nose, his chest heaved up and down, desperately trying to get some air into his lungs.

Atemu led him to a chair where he took a seat and he felt Atemu sitting right next to him.

'Do you want some cake? I made it myself.' Just then, he noticed a sweet scent in the air; the smell of apples. But he was feeling so unwell that he was sure he could not even take one bite without vomiting. 'Tell me everything, Yugi. Do not skip one tiny little detail, you are upset and you need to let it all out.'

The words hung in the air before they hit him, he was so busy wiping away the tears that were sticking to his eyelashes and keeping his breathing under control that he barely noticed the soft and soothing voice of his psychologist. The tie around his neck was loose, drained with cold sweat and his cheeks were marked with dry tears. He could not talk about it anymore, all of this was too much for him to handle. He thought it would be easy to talk about it, especially with Atemu, but now that he had to, he realized that he could not do it.

'I-I can't,' he choked, his voice hallow and raspy, as if it did not belong to him. He refused to open his eyes, he still too scared that it had not worked. He ran his fingers through his hair, and let his hands rest on top of his head, breathing heavily through his mouth. 'There's too much going on right now.'

'Yugi.' He raised his head slightly, well, he was forced to as one lone finger lifted his chin up. 'I need you to tell me what happened today. If you do not tell me anything, then you will not be able to sleep for the next couple of days.' His tone was harsh this time, pushing him to the edge. 'Keeping your feelings bottled up inside you is not good for your health. I only want to help.'

Yugi's lips were trembling, new tears were streaming down his cheeks, and slowly his lips parted, a small amount of saliva running down his chin, onto Atemu's finger. Soft sounds came out of his mouth, he was trying to form the words, but he could not do it. It was too much for him to do.

He felt warm hands on his shoulders, squeezing them in a comforting way.

'Open your eyes, dear one.'

… _Dear one._

He had heard that nickname before. No one had called him that except for-

'I need you to open your eyes for me…' He felt familiar cold fingers wrapping around his neck, pressing their thumbs tightly against his windpipe. This was not Atemu anymore, it was _him. _Gasping for air, Yugi wriggled around, trying to rip the hands off. 'You can do it, _Yugi Mutou_.'

'No, g-get off!' he gasped out, he yelped when he was pushed against the back of the chair, the chair almost lost its balance, but miraculously managed to stay on its four feet.

'I'm not touching you, Yugi.' The grip on his neck tightened, and this time, his eyes finally flew open, exposing a pair of bright grey orbs. He narrowed his eyes once again when a bright light flashed him. He could not breathe anymore, he saw odd little things dancing in front of his eyes and his vision darkened again. He let go of the hands around his neck and searched for something to smack the other with. The other was still pressing him against the chair, but he managed to lean forward and let his hands wander around.

Something pointy and sharp touched the tips of his fingers. He immediately wrapped his numb fingers around it and brought it back to his own body, where he knew the other was, too.

'Leave-me-alone!'

_Slash. _

… _Thump. _

Yugi reached for his throat, he could breathe again, the cold grip was gone and he started coughing, trying to breathe normally. He sank into the chair, opening his eyes again. Blinking a couple of times, his eyes started to make out the area around him.

He was in a room, bright lights were hanging from the ceiling, giving the room a nice cozy feeling. In front of him was a desk, right next to said desk was a chair, it was roughly shoved to the side and it took him a minute to realize what he had done.

'No!' Yugi jumped off his chair and knelt to the ground, where a man was lying on his side, unconscious. A cake knife was sticking out of his side, the knife was covered in blood and the wound it had created was bleeding uncontrollably. He was wearing, what looked like, a suit, only a few patches of his dark skin were visible. His face was scrunched up, but relaxed at the same time as he had slipped into unconsciousness.

'Atemu!' He grabbed the man's face, noticing how warm it was and how smooth his cheeks were. Resisting the urge to stroke those cheeks, he shook his shoulders, trying to wake him up; he kept begging him to open his eyes and wake up, he had to do. He needed to. He could not have murdered Atemu, it could not be true. He had not wanted to…

'Wake up!' Suddenly, Atemu obeyed; his eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of dark looking eyes, they were the same color as the blood dripping from his side. His dry lips turned into a sickening smirk, causing Yugi to pull back immediately. He rose from the ground, pulling out the bloody knife and placing it on Yugi's throat. His face was dangerously close to his own, his hypnotizing eyes stared right through him. The knife was almost cutting through his fragile skin, warm blood dripped down his throat, he was not sure if it was his own or Atemu's blood. He was frozen on the spot, nailed to the ground like a statue.

'You're too late, Yugi.' Blood leaked out of his mouth and he roughly grabbed Yugi's face, pulling it towards his own. At that point, everything went black.

* * *

Yugi was pacing in and out of the waiting room, tapping his fingers against his chin. He was told he had fainted in Atemu's arms right after he had taken off the bandages. But he knew it was a lie, a knife was indeed found in Atemu's side, it had barely missed his chest and it was not a very clean cut. He was not sure what to believe, anymore. Those fingers around his neck had felt so real that he had to do something to get them away, it could not have been a dream.

He had not even enjoyed the fact that he could see, he could see everything happening around him and for the first time in his life, he wished he had stayed blind. This was not the way he had wanted to meet everyone.

Jounouchi was sitting in the corner of the room, continuously running his fingers through his hair, and muttering things to himself. Yugi had to admit that he was beyond happy to finally see his best friend's face, but said friend looked like a zombie now. Dark bags were under his dark eyes (Yugi could not remember the name of the color), and his light hair was sticking to his forehead, which was covered in sweat.

His father, a rather short man with dark hair, which contained white spots, had left the room a while ago. He was still wearing his suit, like Yugi and Jounouchi and had decided to go home, he had said he needed to think.

'You're sick, Yugi.' It was Jounouchi's voice. It sounded so calm and neutral that it almost scared him. Yugi turned to his friend, opening his mouth to protest, but Jounouchi shook his head. 'Look what you've done.'

'… He's not dead, Jounouchi.'

'Well, he could have been! Jeez, dude, what's gotten into you?'

'He was trying to kill me!' The two fell silent, Jounouchi had risen to his feet, he was towering over Yugi and breathing heavily through his nose. His dark eyes sparkled furiously.

'Atemu is your psychologist, why the _hell_ would he, of all people, try to kill you?' Yugi looked down at his feet, shaking his head. He rubbed over his sore throat where he had felt those cold fingers before. He just realized that he had not looked in the mirror, he did not even know what he looked like yet.

'I felt his fingers around my throat.'

'I'm sure you didn't. You scratched yourself, Yugi. And you kept scratching until you would draw blood and you did not even notice it, I've seen it with my own eyes.'

'What are you saying, Jounouchi?'

Both of them were silent again, Yugi's grey eyes were filled with sorrow, he already knew what Jounouchi was trying to say, but he did not want to hear it, and yet, he was encouraging him to do so.

'You're a danger to yourself, Yugi. I thought it was because of the stress you've been having and the things that you're going through, but none of that should lead to this. Today was a hard day for you and your mind couldn't take it anymore. You're sick and you know it.'

A nurse entered the room, she had long silky hair and she was clutching her light skirt. Her eyes were focused on the floor, as if she was too scared to look them in the eye.

'Yugi, Atemu says you can come in now. We're done for now, all he needs is rest.' Yugi nodded, hearing the cracks coming from his sore neck; he slowly walked out of the waiting room and followed the nurse to Atemu's room.

Once they were in the room, Yugi had to swallow away a lump in his throat, he had just barely noticed how incredibly handsome Atemu was. His eyes were looking at nothing in particular, leaving Yugi the chance to fully look at his psychologist without him knowing it. He had a sharp jawline and a thin neck, under the neck were his broad shoulders, covered by the hospital gown, but the hospital gown was so loose that Yugi could see some parts of his chest. Like he had noticed before, Atemu had very dark skin, it reminded him of the color of Jounouchi's eyes.

The rest of his body was hidden beneath the covers and Yugi cleared his throat, not wanting to make Atemu wait any longer.

His psychologist turned to him, a warm smile appearing on his face.

'Hello, Yugi.'

* * *

**Author's note: **Just let me know if I need to change the genre to horror, 'cause I'm not so sure about that anymore. I don't think it's necessary, but if you think so, please let me know

Change of plans, but since we're nearing the end of this story (maybe a couple of more chapters), I thought I'd give it a small twist. My original plan was to keep Yugi blind, but maybe it's better this way. He still doesn't have his real eye color back, after all.

This chapter practically wrote itself, I was writing more than a 1,000 words per hour, it was crazy. o.o Oh, well, I guess that's a good sign.

Please review!


	11. Your Very Own Nightmare

**Author's note: **Hiya~, I'm alive and so is this fic.

I'm not going to change the genre into horror because, to say it bluntly, horror is reading/watching people getting tortured/murdered mercilessly. And since that is not going to happen, I'm not gonna change the genre, just to let you know. (:

**Warning:** Slight creepiness in this chapter. Dark, dark, dark Puzzleshipping… Lovely, isn't it?

* * *

'Tell me what happened,' Yugi stated softly, taking a seat on the bed, keeping his hands folded in his lap. Atemu raised his head a bit, his glasses flashed for a moment before they were see-through again. His eyes, the same color as blood, stared at him intensely.

'You don't remember?' he said with a small smile. His lips were chapped and dry, as if he had not had anything to drink in days, more cracks appeared when he smiled, they looked like they were rip in two. Yugi could not help but stare, the area around his lips was awfully pale, it looked unnatural. Especially because he had seen him lying on the floor, out cold, he had darker skin back then.

Before he had taken a seat on the bed, he had looked fine. He slowly shook his head, clearing his throat and feeling small beads of sweat running down his neck. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt Atemu's warm hand on his, his fingers wrapping around his wrist.

'It was an accident, Yugi,' he whispered. 'Don't worry about it.' Yugi frowned at him, shaking his head.

'What? I stabbed you, that's not an accident.' Atemu's eyes softened and he beckoned Yugi to come a bit closer, which he did. He sat right next to his psychologist, studying his pale face nervously.

'You came in and took off your bandages. You started telling me about your day and suddenly…' he looked away, pressing his lips together as if he was having a hard time. Yugi felt his heart beating against his ribs, it hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut and told Atemu to continue. 'Yugi…' He felt the tips of Atemu's fingers under his chin, forcing his head up.

Yugi opened his eyes again and looked at Atemu, who had a serious look on his face. 'You need help.' Yugi's lips trembled, he tried to pull away, but when Atemu lowered his head, he froze on the spot. It was as if Atemu's eyes were hypnotizing him, telling him to stay.

'But _what happened?_' he softly demanded. Atemu sucked in a small breath and he shifted in his spot, finally letting go of Yugi's chin.

'… You wrapped your fingers around your own throat,' he said quietly. Yugi's eyes widened up to the size of dinner plates. 'I was trying to help you because I saw you were truly trying to strangle yourself. But when I tried to pull your hands off, you lost it and stabbed me.' Yugi breathed and jumped off the bed, reaching for his throat.

'I-I… Did I—' He shook his head frantically, shutting his eyes and scratching at the sides of his head. 'No… No, I—It was _him! _It wasn't me, but _him!_' He screeched and sunk to his knees. 'He's trying to make it look like I want to kill myself, he's driving me crazy, he's everywhere, he… _he's trying to kill me!_'

'Yugi…' He opened his eyes and saw Atemu kneeling in front of him. The hospital gown was now open, exposing his entire chest. There was a huge bandage wrapped around his midsection and there were dry blood patches on the pure white fabric. Yugi forced himself to look up at Atemu's kind face, his smile was gentle and reassuring. 'No one's after you. You're safe now, and that's all that matters.'

'No, you don't understand,' Yugi said in a thick voice. 'There's really someone after me. I don't know who he is, or how he keeps finding me, but I know he killed one of my best friends. He's also killed my mother, he's making my life miserable, he's turning everyone against me, he's…'

He stopped rambling when Atemu's eyes flashed behind his glasses. His pale face turned ghostly pale and fangs stuck out of his mouth, like a vampire. Yugi felt his blood running cold, he backed away, ending up in a heap on the floor.

'He is right here,' he said, his deep voice making Yugi shiver. Yugi wanted to scream for help, but his voice had died in his throat. The man in front of him walked around him, very slowly and the air around Yugi felt immensely cold. 'It is such a pity that Anzu Mazaki's time had already come. You know, Yugi, she really liked you. I even think…' he leaned down towards the shell of Yugi's ear. 'She was in love with you.'

Yugi tried to stop his hands from shaking, they were shaking so badly that they were slapping against his pants.

'Stop,' he said through gritted teeth, his voice was but a whisper. He looked over his shoulder, directly into the dark eyes of the stranger. 'Monster.'

'Is it not funny how easy it is to kill humans?' he continued, ignoring Yugi's nasty comment. 'Your skin is so delicate…' he grasped Yugi's cheek not too gently, pressing his cold fingers into the skin. 'A knife could go right through it and kill you in less than a second, if it hits the right spot, of course. Or you could poison someone, it could be a painful or peaceful death, depends on the liquid that you gave them…' his fingers trailed down towards his neck.

'Or you could simply cut off their air,' he circled Yugi's throat and pressed against his windpipe. Yugi started squirming in his grip, desperately trying to call for help. The man leaned closer to him, his lips very close to Yugi's parted ones. 'Go call for help, nobody will come because I am not real, I am but a fragment of your imagination.'

'You're lying,' Yugi gasped.

'You will be locked away,' he dropped Yugi harshly onto the floor and chuckled. 'And then you will be mine.'

'No!' Yugi pushed himself off the ground and tried to reach for him, but the other simply grasped his wrist and bended it. Yugi cried out in pain and tried to pull his precious arm out of the iron grip. The man was bending it more and more, making Yugi snarl at the increasing pain, if he did not act fast, the poor bone in his arm would break.

'I could easily break it. And it will be your own fault.' A sickening smirk that reached his dark eyes was on his face. 'Remember the promise you made me.' With his other hand, he grabbed the back of Yugi's neck and gave a hard push. Yugi fell to the floor, his wrist was still in a weird angle and when his body ended up top of his hand, he could hear a loud _crack_. He yelped, clutching his injured wrist, it was definitely broken.

His closed his eyes and breathed out, trying to block out the pain, but it was simply too intense. A loud gasp erupted from his throat when he felt a pair of warm hands on his shoulders.

'Yugi, Yugi!' He looked up at the face of Atemu who was worriedly leaning over him, holding his shoulders. Yugi backed away, still holding his wrist.

'Just leave me alone!'

'What is going on in here?' Both of them looked up at a nurse standing in the doorway. It was the same nurse that had given him permission to enter Atemu's room, she looked at them with wide eyes. 'Yugi, is everything all right?' Yugi was biting his lip so hard that he was sure he was going to draw blood if he did not stop.

'I…'

'Yugi fell and I think he broke his wrist,' Atemu said softly, his eyes on the nurse. Said nurse quickly nodded and walked over to Yugi, silently asking if she could examine his hand. When she carefully grabbed his hand, he already gasped in pain, shutting his eyes.

'Definitely broken,' she stated. 'Come on, I want to make an X-ray.' She put an arm around Yugi's shoulder and gently led him out of the room. Yugi looked over his shoulder at Atemu who gave him a weak smile, he had raised his hand to wave at him, but Yugi shook his head and avoided his face. As soon as they turned around the corner, the nurse stopped, Yugi blinked, looking up at her.

'I forgot something. Wait here.' Yugi obeyed and watched her jogging back to Atemu's room.

* * *

Shizuka had been Yugi's nurse since his eye operation and as the days went by, she got scared. Her patient had not been himself lately and she was not the only one who had noticed it. The kid looked like he was hiding from something… something that did not exist.

Many other nurses had been whispering right in front of Shizuka, she wanted them to stop, but she could not help but listen to those rumors. When she told her doctor that those scratch marks were probably made by human nails, the rumors had started spreading.

The poor guy was probably delusional and hiding from things that were not really there. After what happened with Atemu, Shizuka was absolutely sure of it. She and Atemu had been friends for a couple of years and she knew he would never hurt a fly, let alone Yugi. She did not know what truly happened with the knife, but she was positive Yugi had lost it at that point.

And now, Yugi had somehow broken his wrist. She knew that it was quite easy to break one's wrist, but doing it to yourself…? Breaking a bone hurt a lot, Yugi was going to need some painkillers and his wrist would never be the same again.

She had to find out what happened. She softly knocked on Atemu's door and opened it, letting a smile appear on her face. He was pacing back and forth, holding his hand against his chin, as if he was lost in thoughts.

'Atemu?'

'Hm?' Said person looked up, slightly startled. 'Shizuka. I thought you were going to make some X-rays with Yugi.' Shizuka nodded and closed the door behind her, leaning against it with her shoulders.

'Yeah. But I came back because I wanted to ask you a question. Did you Yugi trip, or…?' She eyed him carefully, raising her voice a bit to make a point. Atemu raised his eyebrows for a second before his eyes fell on the floor, right at the spot where Yugi had lain a few minutes ago.

'He really needs help. He thought I wanted to kill him,' Atemu said, his wine colored eyes sparkling dangerously. He looked back at Shizuka, the kind look in his eyes had disappeared, they were filled with hurt and disappointment. 'He called me a monster and then let himself fall on his wrist. He may be schizophrenic, I'm not sure.'

Shizuka's face fell. She had never dealt with mental illness before, she had no idea how to react.

'I was afraid of that,' she breathed, closing her eyes. She opened the door again and turned around so she could leave. 'Thanks. I'll come back later to check on you.' She closed the door behind her and sighed, rubbing her eyes.

Smoke appeared on the other side of the door, Atemu straightened up and rolled his eyes so they returned to their original blood color and his skin became deathly pale once again. Yugi was a very strong person and not easy to break, but on the other hand, that made it more challenging and interesting. Using Atemu to confuse him had definitely been a good idea and now that he had turned back to his own form in front of him, he was sure that Yugi would be deadly afraid of his so-called psychologist.

He opened his hand, the light colored orb in it was glowing brightly, it felt warm and soft, the kind of light that would shine in Yugi's eyes if he had his own sight. He closed his hand around it, gritting his teeth, the orb was still pretty strong, but it had weakened. Yugi was reaching his breaking point, now that Anzu was dead and his other best friend had told him that he was sick, he would give up very soon.

Raising his eyes to the door, he smirked. And if Shizuka confirmed it, he would lose it for sure. All he had to do was help his colleague a little.

* * *

Yugi sat on his bed, staring at his wrist. The area around his wrist was swollen and dark patches had appeared on his skin, there was also a slight bulge, his bone had shot out of its place. The nurse could be back any minute with bandages and everything else, ready to help him out.

As if on cue, she walked in with a small bowl of water and the other needed tools.

'I'm back. Carefully lay your arm on this small table.' She put a small table between them and sat on her knees to take care of his wrist. 'You should be more careful next time, Yugi.'

'Yeah,' he mumbled. He winced when she pulled at his swollen skin. She started wrapping the bandage around his wrist, being very careful not to hurt him too much. After she was done, she applied another coat of special bandage, after wetting it in the bowl of water, it felt awfully cold and Yugi gasped at the cold touch.

'Sorry. By applying water on it, it hardens, which makes it easier for your wrist to heal.' When she was done, she gently patted it and smiled up at him. 'I also wanted to let you you that I'm Shizuka, do you still remember me?'

Yugi smiled wryly at her, pulling his arm towards him so he could lay it in his lap. She was the same nurse that had been with him since his eye operation, she was one of the nicest nurses here. The cast was somewhat heavy and it still hurt a lot, but the painkillers Shizuka had given him would start numbing the pain any minute. At least, he hoped so.

'You should start reading and writing right away. And learn the names of the colors, of course. I guess you already know the standard colors?' Shizuka walked around him and sat down next to him on the bed, looking at him expectantly. He already knew how to read and write, it had taken him lots of practice, especially when he had to write that letter for Anzu... He quickly shoved that thought away and focused on Shizuka.

'I know that the sky is blue, oranges are orange, blood is red…' Right away, Atemu's eyes entered his mind. They were the same color as the blood he saw dripping from the wound. He looked at her, she was smiling proudly at him.

'Yes, good. Maybe Atemu can teach you how to read and write, I'll teach you the rest of the colors,' she said. Yugi shook his head repeatedly, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his lips together. 'What's wrong?'

'Not Atemu,' he breathed. He had no idea how he was going to explain it to Shizuka, she would never believe him, but he was absolutely sure about it. That very deep voice was the same voice that had been haunting him his entire life, he regretted not realizing it sooner. When he met Atemu for the very first time, he knew it right away, but Atemu had said,

'_I think you're confusing me with someone else, Yugi. We haven't met, yet.'_

Everything was a lie, his whole life was just a joke now, Anzu was dead, Jounouchi was mad at him and his father had left the hospital after looking at him with a defeated expression. Jack was disappointed in him, and so was Jounouchi. No one believed him.

But was all of it not real? Was he truly imagining things and did that person not exist at all?

'Why not? What's wrong with Atemu?' Shizuka asked with a small frown, her eyes sparkled worriedly and Yugi looked away, his eyes on his arms. 'You know, Yugi. Atemu is one of the nicest people I've ever met in this hospital. He's a great listener, he has to be of course because of his job. But I know that he really cares about his patients. If you can't trust him, you can't trust anyone.' She laughed a bit, a natural flush appearing on her pale cheeks.

Her last sentence spooked around in Yugi's head, if he could not trust Atemu, he could not trust anyone.

'Yugi, no one wants to hurt you, especially not Atemu. You need to talk to him about your problems—'

'You think I'm crazy, don't you?' Yugi bluntly interrupted her. She had tried to tell him when she asked him about the scratches on his hand. It was all pretend, everything was a lie, it was true, he could not trust anyone. The flush on Shizuka's cheeks increased, betraying her. He got up from the bed, gripping his pants with his uninjured hand. 'I think you need to leave.'

'No, that's not it, Yugi. We are all just worried about you,' she said, gently wrapping her slim fingers around his arm. 'We care about you and want to help you. Please talk to him, he can help you sort things out. We know you've been through a lot, losing the ones you love is something that needs time. And keeping your feelings bottled up will drive you nuts. Overthinking can cause depression, it can even lead to suicide.'

His eyes flashed dangerously, he turned around to glare at her. 'You think I want to kill myself. You think I have a death wish, don't you?' Shizuka shook her head and gripped his shoulders, forcing him to look up at her.

'Yugi, listen to me. Don't overthink, it'll only make things worse. If you really don't want to talk to Atemu, I'll find you another psychologist, as long as you talk to _someone._' Yugi felt the tears burning behind his eyes, they stung and he started shaking. Shizuka gently held his face, wiping away the tear that leaked out of his eye. 'You're a strong person, you can win this fight. Everything will be fine. Remember that, okay?'

Yugi gripped her hand, squeezing it tightly. He lowered his head, biting his lip to keep the tears from streaming down his cheeks. His thoughts were so overwhelming, the fear of looking death in the eye, the hatred he had for himself, the fact that he was all alone. He did not know what to believe anymore, he could not even tell the difference between reality and dreams.

Shizuka stayed with him for a few minutes, she had wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back with her hand, calming him down. And while she did, she was looking over his shoulder, staring at Atemu, who was standing in the doorway. He gave her a quick nod before walking away, smiling when his back faced her.

Tonight was going to be _fun_.

* * *

The end of the day was nearing and Yugi was allowed to leave the hospital to go home. He had told Shizuka that he would be back tomorrow to give her the answer she needed. He still was not sure if he wanted to talk to Atemu, they had talked about it for a while, and she had suggested joining their sessions to assure him that he could trust Atemu.

Lost in thoughts, Yugi lifted his bag over his shoulder and turned off the light in his room. But as soon as he did, all the other lights in the hospital hallways were turned off, too. That was really weird, he knew a hospital would never do that, certain people had night shifts, right…?

Yugi narrowed his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness.

'Hello? Did someone turn the lights off?' He felt around with his hands, trying to find the light switch again; however, he was pushed out of the room. He let out a loud 'Oof!' and held his leg that had broken his fall. 'Who's-?'

'Missed me?' The familiar deep voice echoed around in the halls and Yugi's head shot up. It was as if the voice was coming out of invisible speakers, which were right next to his head, it was so loud and clear. He slowly got up and turned around, his eyes still had not adjusted to the dark yet, it was as if he had turned blind once again.

'_You're a strong person, Yugi.' _This time it was Shizuka's voice, Yugi yelped when her head appeared in front of him. It was just her head, her body was nowhere to be found. There was definitely something wrong with her head, her red eyes were almost popping out of her head and her usual kind smile was replaced by a sickening grin. Yugi tried to back away when she reached for him with her pale, bloody hand.

"This is a dream, this is a dream, this isn't real, this can't be real!" his mind screamed at him. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, he could finally make out the long hallway and ran towards the exit, a light hung above it, teasingly dangling his freedom in front of him.

'_Don't leave just yet, Yugi.' _With a loud grunt, Yugi fell to the ground once again, but this time it was because a hand had grabbed his ankle, making him lose his balance. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened in fear. Atemu was coming closer to him, blood leaking out of his mouth, just like he had seen earlier that day. His unnaturally pale face looked bruised, as if someone had beaten him up.

Yugi crawled away and tried to rip the door open, but it was locked.

'Let me out!' he yelled, banging on the door. No one came, it was as if he was all alone, lost in these shadows.

_'But we were just getting started,' _a voice whispered in his ear. Yugi whirled around, Atemu was standing there, arms folded over his chest, his hospital gown was ripped open so Yugi could see the stab wound he had created. Guilt washed over him, but he quickly pushed it away, Atemu had gotten what he deserved. _'Aren't you going to apologize for what you did to your dear psychologist?' _

Yugi gritted his teeth, reaching for him with his hand, but he failed miserably as Atemu grabbed said hand.

_'Want me to break the other one, too? Or did you do that yourself? I am not quite sure.' _Yugi was about to shout at him before he heard another voice.

_'You're a danger to yourself, Yugi.' _Jounouchi appeared next to Atemu, his eyes were also red and he had mirrored Atemu's smirk. _'Trying to injure yourself all the time, are you sure you're not just trying to kill yourself?' _

'I'm not!' Yugi yelled back, trying to pull his hand out of Atemu's grip. 'Let go of me!' At that very moment, he could hear a soft melody, it sounded like a piano. He turned around and saw a huge dark piano standing in the corner, a tall woman was playing it, her long hair was thrown back over her shoulder, making Yugi unable to see her face.

His eyes widened when he recognized that melody as his mother's song. He ran over to the woman and placed his hand on her shoulder.

'Mom…?' The woman slowly turned her head, instead of eyes, there were two gaping holes. She tucked at her long hair and it fell off, revealing her bald head. She was thin, way too thin, her cheekbones stuck out and just then, Yugi noticed that her bony arms were holding out a cake for him.

_'It's your favorite, Yugi. Strawberry cake with lots of strawberries.' _He remembered those words, she had said those words when he had turned sixteen and had led him to the kitchen. It was also the day she had died in front of him.

He looked down at the cake. It looked rotten, the strawberries had dark patches on them, the cake itself looked slithery and poisonous and spiders were sitting on it, eating it. It smelled disgusting, he felt rather nauseous, his throat started burning.

Yugi shook his head and was about to turn around when she rose to her feet, shoving the cake right into his face. The spiders flew around, nipping at his face, making him yelp out in pain, he tried to wipe it off his face but his arms were held above his head. Atemu smiled innocently at him before he ripped the cast off his arm, making him scream in pain. His wrist was twisted in a weird angle, he screamed in pain when Atemu squeezed it harshly.

_'Not very nice, Yugi. She made that cake just for you,' _he said. Yugi could still feel the spiders crawling over his face, biting into his flesh, he managed to slip out of Atemu's grip and fell to his knees, retching. His burning throat and mouth made it all worse, he gasped for air and tried to get up.

Atemu was kneeling in front of him, grinning at him, he reached for his side where the wound was and went inside the gaping wound with his hand. Yugi grimaced when he pulled out a piece of a knife, he held it in front of his face and licked his own blood off. With an almost tender touch, he wiped the blood off the knife with his hand, studying it carefully. Yugi looked at him fearfully, watching every move.

Atemu suddenly reached for his face, smearing the blood all over his cheeks, some of it ending up in Yugi's mouth. Yugi tried to spit it out, but Atemu grabbed his cheeks, squeezing them, making Yugi unable to open his mouth.

_'Remember my promise.'_

Atemu turned his head around and Yugi saw another Atemu sitting on a bed, talking with a small child. He took a few steps closer, the child on the bed looked a lot like Atemu, he had a bit more color in his face than Atemu did, his large eyes sparkled brightly when he spoke,

_'My mom is always there for me, too. She's really nice,' __he said, smiling.__ 'Are you nice, too?' _Realization hit Yugi, he could have sworn he heard the coin drop in his head. Those words… That child was…

_'If you want me to be. Once we meet again, I will show you the most beautiful place,' _Atemu whispered sweetly. The child's lips curled into a happy smile.

_'Really? When?' _Yugi felt sick, he was that child, this was all a memory, and he could not believe what he was seeing.

_'Very soon, dear one. When your time has come…' _Yugi pouted, folding his arms over his little chest.

_'Why not now?' _Atemu crawled over to him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

_'Because you are not ready yet,' _he whispered against the skin. He started rubbing the back of his Yugi's neck, smiling at him.

_'Well, I turned five today, I think I'm old enough!' _Yugi said playfully, reaching to grab the cold hand. He curled his fingers around it and squeezed it in his small hand.

_'I promise I will come back to pick you up when you are ready, young one.'_ Yugi closed his eyes, his smile slowly disappearing. He stuck out his smallest finger, opening his eyes again.

_'Pinky promise?' _Atemu chuckled and wrapped his own finger around Yugi's.

_'Pinky promise.'_

Yugi knew what he looked like now, he had never known that before. He had not even walked past a mirror today, he did not know what his present face was like.

_'And I always keep my promises, Yugi.'_ Suddenly, Atemu stood in front of him, he circled Yugi, repeating those words over and over again. Yugi gripped his head, trying to block out the loud voice that was taking over his mind._'Open your eyes, dear one.'_

Yugi shook his head and ran towards the exit again, ready to smash the windows if the door was still locked. In a flash, Atemu appeared in front of him again, grabbing his cheeks and pulling him towards his own face. His warm breath brushed against his lips and Yugi felt that he could not move anymore.

_'If you kiss me now, it will all be over, Yugi. You will be free, you can be with your mother and Anzu and be happy. After all, you promised you would come with me.' _

He leaned even closer, their lips were just a few centimeters apart now, Yugi did want it to be over, he no longer wanted to be scared, he wanted to see his real mother, he wanted—

_'Well?' _Atemu whispered softly, almost gently. He was caressing Yugi's cheeks with his warm thumbs, his blood colored eyes looking at him, waiting for an answer. Yugi breathed softly, right onto Atemu's inviting lips.

'Yugi! Wake up!' Yugi looked around, Atemu had vanished and the lights were on again. He tried to move but he could not. He felt pressure on his neck and tried to swat at the hands, but his own muscles did not respond. 'Yugi!'

This time, he did wake up. He saw Shizuka leaning over him along with a couple of other people who were busy giving each other instructions. Yugi looked up and saw that his hands were tied to the bed with some straps, his eyes widened and he tried to rip his hands free.

'Don't worry, they're for your own safety.' Shizuka held up a mirror and for the first time of his life, Yugi saw his own face. But he had not expected to see cuts all over his face, or the flash of red appearing in his eyes. The cuts were small, but very deep, dried blood was all over his cheeks. 'You were scratching at your face, screaming for help. We don't want you to hurt yourself any longer. We had to tie you up.'

Yugi shook his head, 'No… No!' He tucked at the straps again, groaning when they almost cut into his skin.

The doctors mumbled something before inserting a needle into Yugi's arm, Yugi yelped in pain and looked at the needle going through his skin. A gloved hand pressed on the wound to keep it from bleeding and quickly put a plaster on it.

'You will feel better in the morning, Yugi. Go to sleep now.' Shizuka said with a smile, but Yugi saw it was a fake smile, she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and walked out of the room. The others followed her, Yugi watched them leave before throwing his head back onto the bed, closing his eyes.

_Thump. _

He opened his eyes again to see Atemu leaning over him with a smirk on his face, his fangs stuck out of his mouth and small droplets of blood trickled down his teeth, ending up on Yugi's face. A sharp pain shot through his arm, with a small gasp, Yugi looked up at his bare arm and saw a large wound. He was about to scream for help, but he could not when Atemu covered his lips with his hand.

'Shh…' He cupped Yugi's cheek, leaned down again, pressing their foreheads together. 'We will be together soon.'

* * *

**Author's note: **… Stop staring at me, this was my plan all along.

And Yugi mentioned the title of the fic, you don't know how long I've been waiting for him to say that, YOSH. *fist pump* xD

I know the whole Yami/Atemu thing is a bit confusing, but I think I made it pretty clear in this chapter. *she said hopefully*  
Ugh, I suck at creepiness, I know, I don't have any experience with that. I'm sorry. 8D

Also, next chapter is going to be the last one. Phew, I'm so glad I'm almost done with this fic, it's been such a long time, it's not even real.

Please review~!


End file.
